


Nymphetamine Addiction

by DestineyTot, Usagi323



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Dubious Consent, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-09
Updated: 2012-12-27
Packaged: 2017-11-20 17:28:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 121,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/587914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestineyTot/pseuds/DestineyTot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Usagi323/pseuds/Usagi323
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Ivan wanted was one taste, one little drop of that sweet blood on his tongue. What he got instead was a smiling, beautiful blonde and an unexpected relationship out of the whole mess. RusAme. Vampire!AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Exposure

Ivan sat perched on top of a Paris building, watching as a drunken man stumbled his way along the sidewalk. It was early in the morning, around 2AM or so, and the streets were relatively empty and quiet. The man was singing loudly some French song in his obnoxious, slurred voice while also trying to dance around the streetlights on the sidewalk. Violet eyes narrowed and zeroed in on his neck, particularly his jugular. Even from his spot on the high roof, Ivan could hear the steady throb of his pulse in his veins. He felt the hunger pains, the dry burn in his throat as his blood lust grew. It had been a long while since he had fed, a couple days to be exact. He had been focused on getting to Paris as quickly as possible that he had forgone the process of feeding along the way. Now he was pleasantly hungry and there just so happened to be an oblivious stranger dancing along the sidewalks below him.

He'd been to Paris before with his creator a long time ago. Actually, he'd been here numerous times in his existence as a vampire. He can remember whenever he first visited the city, the size being much, much smaller back then. It was during the period of the 100 Years war, and also during the time of the horrible epidemic known as the Black Death. The blood had been stale and tainted back then, a bitter taste on his tongue. People were dropping like flies. It was easy to sneak a meal amiss the piles of bodies that went unaccounted for. However, it didn't matter, because the blood was thin and disgusting from the spread of the disease. Ivan, in all his immortality, had been shielded from the sickness. But that was then, and this was now, and he had a meal waiting for him below.

Jumping down silently from the roof of the building, he landed nimbly on his feet, barely jostling himself and making no noise whatsoever. The drunk was still unaware of his presence, stumbling along the sidewalk and almost falling out into the traffic-less street. Ivan waited until the man disappeared into the shadow of a building before gliding soundlessly up behind him. He usually preferred to play with his food before eating, but tonight was different and this was all purely about hunger. Quickly grabbing the back of the man's jacket, he flung him effortlessly into the darkness of an alleyway. The man stumbled and fell back against a wall, his fogged mind slow and unable to absorb what had just happened. Ivan was upon him the next second, flipping him around and smashing his face into the brick wall of the building. The violet eyed vampire held him in place there, mouth watering at the smell of blood. He must have broken the man's nose. The smell wasn't particularly anything special - average at best - but beggars couldn't be choosers and Ivan wasn't about to wait any longer for dinner.

Peeling back the man's color, he sank his fangs in none too gently, and crimson exploded into his mouth. It was warm, slightly thin and a little too watery, but would suffice the burning thirst. What didn't go into Ivan's mouth dripped down the man's shoulder, dampening his clothes and staining them with dark red. The man gave a weak garbled noise as blood welled up in his throat, a small line dribbling down his chin as Ivan fed on him like a rabid animal. There was no need to be gentle, not in Ivan's mind. The man was nothing to him. He wasn't some unearthly beauty who needed to be treated with the utmost care. He was some drunk who was probably coming home to either a worried, mistreated wife or an empty house. So Ivan showed him no mercy, tearing at the skin of his throat with his fangs and not even bothering to make it any less painful for him.

Whenever Ivan felt the dull pain in his stomach disappear and his throat cleansed of the burning sensation, he pulled away with a sharp gasp, blood drenching his mouth and leaving a large trail down his neck and into his scarf. He wiped his mouth across the back of his sleeve, staining it as well. Dropping the body ungracefully on the ground, he stilled himself for a second, taking in the feeling of another successful kill. If there was one thing that never lost its zest in Ivan's long and fairly monotonous life (it was monotonous to him) it was the thrill of the kill and the taste of fresh blood on his lips. He rarely ever let anyone live through his feeding sessions. He'd heard of vampire's trying to refrain from killing their victims, instead feeding just a little bit and then erasing their memories before coming back later to repeat the process. However, Ivan didn't care for familiarity, nor did he care that much for human life. To him, they were literally, no matter how silly the expression was, meals on wheels. He had no problem with taking the life of another. He may have had a conscious in the beginning, but that was almost a thousand years ago and the word 'guilt' barely registered in his mind anymore.

Sending a chilling smile down at the corpse below him, he began backing out of the alley before disappearing in a sudden gush of wind, his form too quick for the human eye to catch.

Daytime was miserable.

The sun was annoying and uncomfortable on his head. It always gave him headaches if he spent too much time directly under the sun. It was like being really sleepy and trying to do hard labor in a harsh environment. It never felt okay.

So whenever Ivan spotted a nice little cozy-looking cafe up ahead, he quickly ducked inside, grateful or the cool air-conditioning and the shade from the sun. Not wanting to look too suspicious, he took a seat at a small two-seater table. He had to admit, it always felt strange being around humans in such public places, watching them eat and drinks things that no longer appealed to Ivan. Though, he would admit that he was always curious about what soda pop tasted like or what all the buzz around the McDonald's epidemic was. It wasn't like he could just pick up a Pepsi and take a swig of it, either. His taste buds were largely altered by his vampirism. It would probably taste like it shouldn't, bitter and sour on his tongue and not right at all. His body rejected human food, unless the food was human of course.

As he drummed his fingers on the small, polished table, Ivan drowned out the chatter of the small cafe as best as he could. Sometimes having enhanced hearing was a blessing and a curse. He could hear shuffling from the back of the cafe, someone talking rapidly in French. Their accent was slightly strange, as if they weren't used to speaking in that language much. It caught his attention nonetheless, so he listened intently. The chattering continued for a small bit before cutting off abruptly. A few seconds later, he could make out the same voice, but this time it was in English. 'Ah.' Ivan thought simply to himself. That would explain the accent to his French. The voice grew slightly louder and Ivan could tell he was about to walk into the lobby of the cafe. The double doors to the storage room opened, causing a small gust of wind to gust through the lobby. Ivan stiffened immediately, the scent catching him off guard. There was no way that could be the smell of iced coffee.

A cheerful, smiling blonde walked out into the middle of the lobby. His hair was the exact shade of the sunshine, bright and golden and shining. His eyes matched the sky, a beautiful blue color guarded by bright red glasses. His skin was a rich color, sun kissed and healthy looking and above all, beautiful. He looked around awkwardly for a bit, looking for a patron to serve. Whenever he spotted Ivan's empty table, he shot him a bright, white smile and began walking towards his table.

Ivan's muscles were tensed, his hands unconsciously gripping the side of the table tightly. It was a miracle that the hard surface didn't crack under his strength. As the blonde came closer, his scent became stronger. It swirled around him, rich and sweet and exotic and overall so delicious. Ivan felt his mouth water at the smell, his tongue running hungrily over a sharp fang. Even though he wasn't even remotely thirsty at the moment, the need to bend that blonde over the table and sink his teeth into his jugular was as strong as ever. He wanted to whisk him into his arms and look into those blue eyes, watch them cloud with desire and confusion and lust, run his tongue over the vein on his neck, taste that beautiful sun kissed skin, feel his fangs sink into it gently, and just drink.

All of these thoughts passed through Ivan's mind in a couple short seconds. He realized how strange he must have looked to the other, tensed up like an animal ready to strike. Forcing his muscles to relax and his posture soften a bit, he tried putting on a polite smile for the blonde. He folded his hands politely over each other, trying to quell the raging hunger in his being.

Alfred F. Jones was just an average American 19 year old guy. He loved sports, comic books, fast food, coffee, and video games. He also though, loved literature. That's why when the college he was attending had a studying abroad program for French Literature, Alfred jumped at the opportunity. Of course Alfred being Alfred hadn't really thought that decision all the way through, and so only armed with a bit of basic French that he taught himself over the weeks of working his ass off to be able to afford this trip, he made it to France. The first couple weeks there blew his mind away considering he only knew so much French, but like they say, the fastest way to learn a language was to go where they spoke it. It also helped that he made friends with this nice, if not completely perverted and flirtatious native Parisian by the name of Francis Bonnefoy. He met Francis on his third day in Paris when he was arguing with his British lover Arthur Kirkland outside in the park where Alfred was trying to study up more on the language. Needless to say, he pounced all over them when he heard English in their conversation, thus starting a beautiful friendship between the three. And by beautiful Alfred meant they all bickered with each other all the time, but it was all in good fun. Francis had helped him get used to speaking French and also helped Alfred find his a job at a cute little cafe while he was looking for a job to support himself here.

That was why Alfred a month later was currently fumbling with some stuff he needed to put into storage. The stupid plastic spoons refused to fit ANYWHERE on these god forsaken, overstuffed shelves. He cursed quietly in French first, and then as Alfred's frustration grew he switched back to English before giving up and just setting them on the floor. Still muttering angrily about uncooperative spoons, he approached the double doors that lead out of the storage room so he could continue with his real job of greeting and serving the customers. Alfred immediately felt his previous irritation melt away as he was met with welcomed light of the afternoon, fall sun shining through the cafe windows. After being in the dark storage, it felt nice to feel the sun's beams warm his skin. With a cheery smile, he scanned the room for anyone to serve. His blue eyes caught violet as he spotted a man looking at him. The man was pale with violet eyes that seemed to glow and ashen colored blonde hair that covered the tops of his ears, with bangs that almost reached his eyes as if he hadn't had a hair cut in a while. He was wearing a pale pinkish scarf and a long black coat with long pants. He also had a big cute nose. To put it simply, this guy was hot. Walking over to serve the hot customer, he put on his friendliest smile and kept it there even when he noticed the man tense for a few seconds before relaxing. When Alfred was standing in front of the man's table he asked in a casual tone, "What can I get for ya?" Alfred then flushed lightly in embarrassment for a moment realizing he accidentally said that in English, giving the other man an apologetic smile he laughed sheepishly. "Eh heh heh… Sorry, I meant to ask what can I get for you?"

Ivan fumbled for words, seemingly forgetting about his centuries of social practice. Finally finding his voice, he replied in a soft voice. "Ah…I am…not particularly thirsty at the moment. Thank you." Well, it wasn't really the truth. He was quite thirsty actually, but for something entirely different. His French was a tad rusty. He couldn't speak it with the fluidity that the natives could. His English was better, but if this human wanted to speak French...he cleared his throat, beginning again. "I do speak English." The waiter's face lit up slightly, his eyes widening in pleasant surprise. Ivan realized with an internal sigh that there was no reason for him to say that. He could have kept his mouth shut and let the waiter proceed with his work elsewhere. There was no use in trying to humor this American stranger. Why do something like that whenever he'd more than likely end up as a meal for Ivan later? Drawing little patterns on the table with the tips of his fingers, he was a little surprised to still find the blonde waiter still standing near him. He looked up catching his sapphire eyes – brilliant sapphire eyes – with his own violet ones. The waiter was sending him a sheepish look now. The doors to the café swung open, the bell tied to it ringing as a French couple came in. An even stronger gust of wind blew in and Ivan didn't miss the opportunity to catch a better whiff of the blonde's scent. It was stronger this time, the smell permeating the air around Ivan and causing him to close his eyes. He took in an unnoticeable deep breath through his noise, letting the sweet scent assault his senses. He salivated again at the delicious smell, his fingers curling into his palms and threatening to draw blood. He wanted him.

Alfred was a bit surprised for two reasons; one being that Ivan came into a cafe and didn't seem to want to order anything, the other reason was the fact the stranger spoke English. The first cause of his surprise he supposed could be that the ashen haired man was just trying to escape the sun. He did look really pale. He could be one of those people allergic to sunlight and got migraines when they were out in it too long, like Arthur and Francis were. He could have also been waiting for someone too, and wasn't going to order anything until they arrived. He heard the bell on the entrance to the cafe's door ding, and looked over to where some French couple where making their way to a table. Alfred quickly informed the strange man he was currently serving, "If you're going to stay here at least order water, otherwise the boss might kick you out for loitering. Unless, of course, you're waiting for someone." He winked at the violet eyed man in a friendly manner, hoping whoever he may be waiting for wasn't his girlfriend or something for some reason. Probably because he'd feel awkward ogling at a taken man.

The idea of being put back out into the sun wasn't a pleasant one. Ivan weighed his options. He could walk around Paris, feeling like he was about to pass out or he could sip on some tasteless water, stay in the nice shade of the restaurant, and enjoy the mouthwatering smell of the waiter in front of him. Sighing, he laced his fingers together. "Some water would be fine." It would be annoying to drink, but not as annoying as the sun. The waiter nodded his approval and disappeared to the counter. Ivan took the moment to lament over his earlier thoughts. What would he do? Catch the waiter outside the restaurant later? Would he spend his entire day inside this place, waiting and watching? No…no. That would be much too creepy and noticeable. Who just comes in a café to sit around all day? The waiter did look awfully young. Maybe he could try out that whole 'leaving your victims alive' thing. He laughed darkly to himself, his humor cold. That would be a first.

Alfred soon came back with some water, placing it in front of Ivan with a cheerful grin. "And there you go big guy. I'm Alfred by the way, Alfred F. Jones. If you need me, just wave me down." As curious as the sunshine blonde was about this man, he had a job to do and he knew he should be serving the couple that just sat down a second ago before they got impatient. Walking over to the couple, he quickly took their order, having switched back to accented French and continued on his day serving customers, chatting with fellow workers and occasionally sneaking glances at the pale stranger sitting by himself.

After spending more time than necessary, Ivan left the café. He had popped in at about 3PM and the clock now read 5PM. According to the little French numbers scrawled on the glass of the entrance door, their hours were from 11AM to 6PM. Only one more hour, and the lovely smelling waiter would leave work. The sun was still hot and a little high in the sky, but it wasn't nearly as intense as it was earlier in the day. Ivan was still annoyed by the uncomfortable rays that shone down on him, but he forced himself to ignore it for the most part. If it had been any other situation, he would have just found a nice shady spot in the park and stayed in it. But he didn't want to let that café out of his sight. He ran all the scenarios in his head. Where would he corner the waiter? How would the situation go down? Would he just assault him like he did most of his prey, or would he…resort to softer measures? While the thought of the waiter screaming in pain whilst his neck was torn open wasn't exactly an unpleasant one, neither was the thought of him giving in willingly, letting Ivan do with him as he wanted. Bright eyes half lidded in pleasure and mouth open in a silent moan…Ivan licked his lips hungrily. He wasn't sure how much longer he could be patient.

By the time closing time rolled around, Alfred felt tired, rolling a stiff shoulder until he heard a satisfying pop. Alfred stacked the last chair on a table and walked into the changing room. Putting on a light red hoodie over a superman T-shirt, worn jeans and converses, Alfred exited the changing room and called out to his boss that he was heading out. The entire time he'd been changing, his thoughts wandered to the strange, but hot man from earlier. The whole time he worked, he felt his violet eyes on his back, and it made him wonder if the man was interested in him or something. Stepping out into the evening sun Alfred let out a yawn. When he got to his apartment he'd have to get started on his assigned books for college. He had classes tomorrow. Alfred had classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. He worked on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, leaving Sunday as his lazy day or cram day if he didn't do an assignment or study for test. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure. Blinking in shock, he turned to the figure. Alfred's eyebrows shot up as he saw the man from earlier. Now Alfred would admit that was a bit creepy. Despite his shock, he let an easy grin take over his face as he waved, "Hey! You're that guy from earlier! Um, what's your name?" He asked as we walked over to the man.

Ivan flashed him a brilliant smile, the faintest hint of snowy white teeth poking out from behind pale lips. "Oh, how silly of me. My name is Ivan Braginsky." He reached out, extending his hand – the universal sign of a greeting. The waiter – Alfred – shook his hand. His skin was warm and soft and Ivan could feel the faint thrum of a pulse beneath it. It sounded incredible from where he was standing. Alfred made an attempt to pull back his hand, but Ivan didn't let go on his part. He squeezed Alfred's hand tighter, rooting him to the spot. "You were so nice to me back at that café." Ivan purred, eyes going half lidded. "You don't meet many people with that type of work demeanor." He was silently amused by the slightly nervous smile that Alfred was trying to pass off. He could see right through it. He could smell the fear rolling off of him.

Alfred felt himself get a bit apprehensive as Ivan continued to hold his hand. Smiling nervously, he thought that he might have run into some sort of creeper or stalker. Laughing awkwardly, Alfred stated half-jokingly and half seriously, "Thanks! But can you let go of my hand? 'Cause it's kinda creepy that it seems you wait out here for me just to say that. And I'll let you know I'm one lean, mean, fighting machine when I feel threatened." With that he was able to jerk his hand away. Alfred didn't like this situation. It felt too sketchy.

Ivan tilted his head slightly, still smiling and amused by Alfred's nervous banter. "Really?" He got a stiff nod in return from the blonde. Laughing quietly to himself, he let it trail off softly. In a sudden gust of wind, he'd grabbed the blonde by the collar of his hoodie and carried him off. All it took was a few split seconds to reach where he wanted to be. The world stopped moving under their feet Ivan was greeted with the sight of a dark alley way. It was always his preferred spot for carrying out his meals. People didn't realize how dangerous these little corridors actually were. Pressing Alfred back into the cool stone wall of a building, he leaned in close, nose almost brushing Alfred's and amethyst eyes glowing dangerously. "Would you mind proving that to me?" God, Alfred smelled even better up close. Ivan lowered his head, leaning into the crook of Alfred's neck and breathing in deeply. He shuddered at the sweet smell, the throbbing pulse of his blood in his veins a delicious sound. Leaning back a bit so he could stare into Alfred's blue eyes, he smiled sweetly, his fangs poking slightly out of his mouth. A hand was pressed almost painfully into Alfred's chest, holding him against to wall and pinning him down. The other was resting above Alfred's head, Ivan's forearm lying evening against the cool stone of the building.

Alfred was blushing heavily as he was pushed into an alley way, Ivan pressing him painfully against the wall before leaning in. Alfred didn't know why, but he had a feeling Ivan wasn't a stalker or rapist. No, he had more of a feeling that Ivan was some sort of predator and that made both a fearful, yet excited shiver run down his spine. Not liking the feeling of being helpless prey, Alfred let an irritated smile twitch on his face, "Funny thing about me Ivan is..." Alfred trailed, waiting until Ivan was distracted, as a breeze blew by causing Ivan to pause almost like he was smelling the air. Alfred smirked at the opening and kneed Ivan hard in the nads. He saw Ivan's eyes bulge in shock as he doubled over in pain and released Alfred. When wide violet eyes looked up into irritated blue, his face was met with a stronger punch then he'd think could come from this human, considering how he seemed more lean than ripped. Alfred then stepped toward the exit of the alleyway, then faced Ivan with a scowl on his face. "You need to take me out on a date first buddy before you can even contemplate touching me like that!" And with that, the irate and sweet smelling blonde turned to leave.

Ivan clutched his slightly aching face, surprised that a mere mortal could actually cause him such an amount of pain. It wasn't terribly painful, but still painful nonetheless. Above all, it was shocking to say the least. Ivan could takes punches and scratches and kicks like they were nothing, but apparently that wasn't the case with Alfred. Rubbing the slightly red spot on his jaw, he quickly trailed after the blonde, his speed too great for Alfred. He hadn't even made it half way out of the alleyway before Ivan had his hands on him again, dragging him back to where they were before and slamming him hard up against the wall. The blonde's head collided with the hard surface, but Ivan didn't smell any blood. Clutching Alfred by his arms this time, he dug his nails in harshly, causing the American to groan in pain. "That was stupid." Ivan all but growled, glaring angry violet at Alfred. "You would think that after seeing how fast I move, you wouldn't even attempt escape. Obviously, you are not as bright as you seem." He pressed his hand against the base of Alfred's throat, sliding it up and forcing his head to tilt back. "How foolish. I was thinking about making this easy on you, but I am having serious doubts now." He leaned in, his cheek brushing as Alfred as his lips were poised at the blonde's ear. "Maybe I will kill you after all."

Alfred felt cold fear and adrenaline course through his veins, causing him squirm in his grip in a weak attempt at a struggle. He found that Ivan was completely over powering him. At Ivan's comment, he whimpered out, "N-No."

"No?" Ivan repeated the word, his tone filled with mock sympathy. He stared down at Alfred, taking in his appearance. Bright blue eyes widened in fear, his body trembled against Ivan's, and it was just oh so lovely. "No." Ivan said again, voice dropping an octave and as cold as ice. "Then maybe you should have thought your actions through." He snagged a hand into Alfred's hair, jerking his head back roughly and exposing the long expanse of his neck before leaning forward and plunging his fangs in hard. A sharp scream emitted from Alfred and hot, warm, blood filled Ivan's mouth. It was just as heavenly as he thought it would be; thick, creamy, warm, and sweet. The liquid slid across his tongue and down his throat in such a wonderful way that Ivan thought he would faint from the sensation of it all. His senses reeled as he drank hungrily, but slowly. His eyes fluttered closed of their own accord and a pleasurable shiver ran up his spine. He hadn't tasted blood of this quality in…centuries, if not ever in his existence as an immortal.

Through his sweet, drunken haze, Ivan could faintly make out pathetic whimpering and crying. There was hands gripping his shoulders tightly and trying to push him away. As his hearing slowly became more acute, he could make out a broken sound. It wasn't…as pleasant as he would have wanted it to be. It actually sounded pretty damn bad and was doing nothing to help his little blood high at the moment. Pulling his fangs out of Alfred's skin with a wet, ripping sound, he leaned back far enough to look at the blonde. He was gasping sharply, his eyes even wider than before with tears running down his cheeks. His lip was bleeding from where he had bitten down so hard, trying to do something to help quell the pain. He trembled and shook like a leaf in the wind. A shaking hand came up to his neck and he felt around the spot where his skin was mangled by Ivan's fangs. He barely touched it before drawing back with a pained yelp.

Ivan decided that he didn't like the display at all. The expression was unfitting for Alfred. It went against his nice, cheery, sociable demeanor. And that sound…good lord, that sound, that crying. Ivan hated it the most. Licking his lips clean of any blood on them, his eyes flashed bright violet. He placed his hands on Alfred's cheekbones and forced him to look him in the eyes. "Alfred…" He purred, low and seductive. Alfred's frantic gasping and trembling began to still a little, his body becoming a little more lax with the passing seconds. He stared, transfixed by Ivan's eyes and unmoving against the vampire. Ivan cocked his head a little, running his tongue over a bloody fang. "Be still." The order was short and simple. Keeping his eyes locked on Alfred's for a few more short seconds, he finally broke away and lowered his head back down to Alfred's neck. This time, he sank his fangs in slowly and gently, earning a small gasp instead of the horrid scream from last time. Ivan sucked softly, drawing in more of Alfred's delicious, creamy blood and relishing in the flavor. He moaned against the blonde's neck, his hand carding through Alfred's hair in a soothing manner. His stomach felt warm and full, Ivan's entire being seemingly radiating warmth from the sweet liquid.

Alfred cried out in agony as his neck was ruthlessly pierced by something. It felt like his throat was going to be torn apart. Alfred bit his lip until it bled to keep from crying out more. Unfortunately, the red hot pain proved to be too much and Alfred felt himself crying out until his voice was hoarse. This left Alfred with just sobbing and whimpering as tears trailed down his face from the agonizing pain. After what felt like an eternity, he felt whatever was tearing into his neck being torn out from inside his neck, causing the much younger blonde to give a yelp at the sharp pain that came from the action.

After several seconds of Alfred writhing in pain from his earlier torment, his face scrunched up from the pain, he felt a much gentler hand turning his face to make eye contact with his tormentor. Alfred's pain soaked blue eyes met alluring bright violet. Ivan's eyes were practically glowing. Suddenly Alfred relaxed a smidgen as he complied with Ivan's command, shivering pleasantly at the tone he was using. He then felt a similar piercing sensation, only this one was a much smoother entry that borderlined pleasurable. Alfred relaxed completely into Ivan's strong grip and gasped softly at the soft sucking feeling and the vibrations he felt in his neck from Ivan moaning caused him to moan lightly as well. He felt a hand stroke and tangle into his hair soothingly. This experience was definitely more enjoyable then the last one.

A soft, shaky moan resided from Alfred, and Ivan felt himself wanting to smile. Now that was a pleasant sound. He drank very slowly, relishing every drop of sweet crimson as it flooded past his tongue and down his throat. Whenever he began to feel the other's heartbeat weakening, he pulled away with a wet suck, a line of blood dripping off of his chin. Alfred's hoodie was soaked at the collar, the skin of his neck marred with torn skin and the imprints of Ivan's fangs. The blonde braced himself unsteadily against the wall, his legs shaking and knees threatening to buckle together. Flashing that glowing, amethyst gaze on him once again, Ivan forced Alfred to focus on him. Ivan raised his hand to his own neck, digging his nails in and slicing a line across his pale skin. He hissed a bit as the pain registered, but didn't pay it any mind. He wasn't going to let Alfred die, no. Ivan had tasted his blood and now he had an insatiable craving for it. He'd want more…he'd be back later to drink again. And next time, he'd make sure to make Alfred moan for him. Dark blood oozed out of the cut and down Ivan's neck in a dark line. Placing his hand on the back of Alfred's head, he eased him forward so that the blonde's mouth was lingering over the self-inflicted wound. "Drink." He commanded. A pair of warm lips closed over the cut and he felt Alfred suck. Ivan drew in a quick breath, feeling a warm tongue slide over the wound. Alfred's arms wrapped around Ivan's neck, and soon he could feel him sucking hungrily at the cut, pulling whatever blood he could from it. Ivan shuddered, hearing Alfred moan wantonly and desperately against his neck. "A-Ahh…" Ivan couldn't suppress the small whimper. He'd done this before, a long time ago, but never had someone drank so eagerly and hungrily from him.

Alfred felt like he was only half awake when Ivan finally stopped suckling on his neck. Everything felt muted and dulled, his vision fuzzy, but that didn't falter the ashen man's gaze effect on him. Even as he only half registered the fact Ivan was cutting into his own neck slightly with his fingers, just enough to draw blood, he felt compelled to just stare in awe at the handsome stranger. He once again obeyed Ivan wordlessly when ordered to drink his dark blood from the self-inflicted wound. In his weak state, he wrapped his arms round the injured pale neck for support as he hungrily lapped and suckled at the bloody wound. The blood itself didn't taste good. It tasted like iron like all blood did, but that wasn't why he was sucking so eagerly. It was what the blood was doing to him, making him hungrily suck it up. He slowly started to feel less weakened as well as warm inside. He vaguely registered moaning in pleasure at the feeling of hot and heavy blood settling pleasantly in his own stomach. Not long after, Ivan made a soft gasping noise, causing Alfred to smile almost drunkenly against his neck. Soon Alfred came off him with soft wet pop, then proceeded to sleepily press against Ivan. He wasn't as weak anymore, he was just now extremely tired. He heard Ivan ask him where he lived as if through a muffler as slowly Alfred's world began to fade. He mumbled where his college and dorm was before his world turned completely black.


	2. Poetry Is A Good Ice Breaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the large paragraphs, but this was written as an RP, and my RP partner and I tend to leave each other long responses.

Later that night, after dropping Alfred off, Ivan found himself walking in the brightly lit streets of Paris once again. Usually, this is whenever he would have begun his feeding frenzy. It usually started with a woman, young and naïve and innocent. By the end of nights like this, he could have easily drained two or three people. Even though his body didn't necessarily need the blood at the moment, that didn't mean he didn't like to over indulge himself. He liked the hunt, and it always gave him something to do once the sun disappeared behind the horizon. But tonight, he found that he didn't have an appetite. Not after drinking from Alfred. Well…that wasn't entirely true. He had a small appetite, but it was only for the blonde in question. His sweet blood still registered freshly in Ivan's senses, causing a hungry shudder to rip through him. Yes, he would definitely go back to that café tomorrow. He wondered what Alfred's reaction would be whenever he woke up and noticed the ghastly wound on his neck. Would he wear a scarf or a turtleneck to work tomorrow? It would be a little amusing to see how the blonde waiter tried to cover up the bite.

Thoughtfulness eventually gave way to boredom, and Ivan soon found himself inside a bar. He couldn't drink alcohol anymore. His body rejected it, more so than it did food or other drinks. The only reason he was here was to listen idly to the drunken chatter of humans. It was interesting to listen to how they spoke and carried themselves, especially when so heavily inebriated. Eventually, even this became boring and dull, and Ivan found himself walking out the door a moment later. As he walked through the clear glass door, he stopped to politely let a couple in. A green-eyed, blonde haired man with a slightly grumpy expression stepped by Ivan along with his friend – or partner – into the bar. His companion was tall, but not as tall as Ivan, with wavy blonde hair and deep blue eyes. They shifted past Ivan slowly, but the duo stopped immediately after they took their first step past him. Ivan stopped as well, holding the door open awkwardly with one hand. His entire body froze, letting the realization and recognition seep down into his bones.

The two bodies that passed by him were pale, paler than they should have been for humans. A distinct scent came off of them – slightly sweet and icy – the natural smells of the immortals, along with their usual distinct scents. Ivan turned slightly, shooting them a neutral look with his violet eyes. In the small light of the bar, they flashed violet for a second. The smaller man turned and met his gaze, a grimace adorning his face as his own eyes flashed bright emerald in accordance. The moment was agonizingly slow for them, but it passed almost like a blur for everyone else inside the bar. Ivan continued on his way out and the couple continued walking inside as if nothing had happened.

He made his way quickly away from the bar and into the darkness of a nearby park. Settling himself under a large tree, Ivan sighed to himself and looked up into the sky. It wasn't as uncommon as people would have liked to think it was – there were many other vampires out there. They often converged in certain places of the world, some cities and countries being larger hotspots than others. Paris, at one point, had been a bright beacon on the map of the immortals. The youth and promiscuous attitude of the city had made it an easy feeding ground, but as every other hot fad goes, it eventually calmed considerably. However, that didn't mean that lots of vampires didn't hang around this city. It was still a popular destination for them.

Ivan wondered about those two vampires – the two blondes, one with deep blue eyes and the other with emerald eyes. They must have been companions. Ivan could tell that neither of them were fledglings. No, he could sense the age off of them. They were in no way young by vampire standards. Ivan was still older, but they weren't much younger than him. It wasn't common that vampires travelled together unless one of them was a fledgling. They must have been a couple…it was slightly uncommon in his world, but every once in a while, you saw two vampires devoted enough to stick by each other. Love and all that wonderful stuff…Ivan had never experienced that. There was him, the world, and food and that's all that mattered to him. Nothing else. Just food. Blood. Sweet, untainted blood. Sweet and creamy and warm, and sunshine hair, and sky blue eyes and-

He snapped himself from his thoughts. He was thinking about Alfred again. WHY was he thinking about Alfred again? Ivan scowled deeply, picking at small blades of grass on the ground. It must have been his blood. It must have been more addicting than he previously thought. Well, that didn't matter. Tomorrow, he'd see Alfred again. And the next day and the next day and the next. He wasn't about to let something like that slip through his fingers so easily. For the first time in Ivan's life, the hunt had more meaning to it. It wasn't just a hunt, it was an effort to all out possess the blonde.

Alfred woke up the next day from his dreamless sleep with an aching and sharp pain in his neck. He found himself wondering what the hell happened last night. He remembered leaving work and that creepy, and admittedly super-hot guy Ivan trying to molest him in an alley way and him beating the creep up. After that it was all a blank for the blonde...Groaning from the pain in his neck, Alfred decided to see why the hell it hurt. It was too painful to be just a kink in it. Still half asleep, Alfred stumbled his way to the mirror in his small bathroom ad looked at the mirror. "The fuck man?" Alfred stared wide eyed in disbelief and disgust at the wound on his neck, it was two puncture wounds and the skin around the two holes were torn up quite a bit. Wait; Ivan cornered him, he doesn't remember anything after that, and now he had two puncture wounds...this could only mean one thing! After escaping that jerk, a giant ass spider bit him on the way back. The pain had been so intense by the time he got back from walking to his dorm, he immediately collapsed. At least that's what his still sleep fogged mind reasoned, and so he went with it. Taking a shower, he got ready for his first class, just opting to put a giant band aid over his neck wound. He vaguely wondered if Ivan would be waiting for him in the cafe, or if he had hopefully scared him off. Alfred didn't have work today, but the cafe gave him a free lunch since he worked so hard and was a college student, so Alfred ate there for lunch.

Alfred exited his first class yawning. He really disliked early classes, and yes, an eight o'clock class was considered a much too early class for him. As he casually scanned the area, he was surprised to find Arthur a few yards from him looking bored and slightly agitated with waiting. Alfred made a bee line for the irritable Brit, calling out for him. "Hey, Artie! Watcha doin' here? Do you need something?" Alfred asked with curious blue eyes and an easy smile, his friend turned to face him with an almost relieved look on his face before his eyes zeroed in on the band aid on his neck.

"What the bloody hell happened to your neck?" Arthur snapped immediately. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the band aid with deep suspicion. "Alfred…?" Had it been possible that Alfred had been…? "Did anything happen yesterday?"

Alfred raised his hands up in defense as he gave a laugh at his friend's easily provoked attitude. "Woah, Artie chill! It's just a spider bite!" I think, Alfred added to himself in his mind. At the smaller blonde's other question, he paused trying to decide if he should tell him about Ivan. The Brit had a tendency to be a mother hen and worry a lot. At the same time he had the uncanny ability of being able to tell when Alfred's lying. Deciding to be vague about the encounter and down play it, Alfred told Arthur. "Well there was this creepy, but super hot dude at work yesterday. He even tried to put the moves on me! But don't worry Artie, I set him straight!" Alfred then laughed confidently with a cheery smile.

Arthur's expression darkened considerably. His posture took on a deadly serious form. "Do you mind if I see what's underneath the band-aid?" He doubted that it was a spider bite. Arthur didn't even know why he was asking. He had the creeping suspicion that he knew the man that Alfred was talking about. Violet eyes flashed in the Brit's mind.

Tensing slightly at the look, Alfred played off being ignorant to it as he brushed Arthur off. "Don't worry Artie, I'm a big boy and can take care of a mere spider bite! And you haven't answered my question." Alfred directed the interrogation to Arthur. "Why are you here?" Arthur wasn't one for spontaneous visits, and he thought he had a job...though he didn't know as to what the job was.

"No particular reason, nitwit." Arthur replied stubbornly. Alfred's reluctance to show him the 'bite' was slightly annoying. No matter, Arthur knew very well what it most likely was. "You're finished with your classes, right? Where are you going?" Truthfully, Arthur had been on his way to meet up with Francis, but had taken a detour along the way. He didn't know why, it was just some sort of gut feeling, an instinct that said that he needed to check on Alfred. As annoying as the blonde could be, he viewed Alfred almost like a – he didn't want to say son… - brother. It wasn't often that vampires dabbled with humans, but there was something about the way they had met each other and Alfred's attitude that Arthur secretly enjoyed. Francis enjoyed it too, but for entirely different reasons. Arthur felt himself flushing at the thought. Stupid Frenchman…

Alfred shrugged and accepted the Brit's answer, knowing he could be as stubborn as Alfred at times. Alfred answered Arthur's new question scratching his nose and looking up in thought. "Well I guess I was going to go to the cafe for lunch, and then just sorta hanging around. Maybe read some of the books I need too."

"Oh." Arthur said awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his neck, staring into the ground. It was strange how conversation could be both naturally easy yet still incredibly hard with Alfred sometimes. "Well, then. Be careful Alfred. If you run into any trouble just…let Francis and I know. Any trouble at all." He'd have to make it a point for Alfred to describe what his stalker looked like later. But the blonde looked fairly hungry and ready to leave and he was probably holding Francis up wherever he was. "Goodbye, idiot. Don't do anything too stupid." He received a "Hey!" in response and a smack to his arm. Surprisingly, it actually stung. Alfred's strange strength was…well, strange for a human. He waited until Alfred had walked away and was completely out of sight before disappearing with a blur.

The cafe was only three blocks away from Alfred's university, which was convenient for the blonde considering he could just walk there and enjoy the feel of Paris. It was truly a pretty city with a lot of history and many literary masters such as Voltaire, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Emile Zola. Alfred just enjoyed the feeling of being outside. It was a nice sunny day with a few puffy clouds in the sky. As Alfred approached the café, he felt himself torn between curiosity and dread at finding out if Ivan would be there. As he opened the door to the bell on the handle jingled, he scanned the place and from the corner of his eye he saw Ivan in a secluded corner. He was hunched over in impatience and looking seemingly bored until he caught sight of Alfred, to which he waved and gave a polite smile. Alfred stiffened and just walked toward the kitchen to retrieve his lunch, pretending not to have seen Ivan.

When he came out with a burger the chef made just for him and a coffee, Alfred sat down at a two person table also in a secluded corner coincidentally and as far from Ivan's table as he could be. He wasn't even into his second bite of his burger when a pale hand landed firmly on his shoulder. Scowling, Alfred greeted irritably, "Hello to you too, Creeper McMolesterson. Is your middle name stalker, too?"

Ivan smirked, allowing his eyes to drift down to the rather large band-aid on Alfred's neck. It managed to cover the bite marks, but not all of the bruising. Some spots of purple and blue peaked out from underneath the bandage. "Good afternoon, Alfred. And no, I do not have a middle name as far as I am concerned." Back during his age, middle names had not been as important. They were trivial and meaningless as far as he was concerned. He could feel the warmth radiating from underneath Alfred's clothes, heating up his cold hand. Alfred seemed to realize that Ivan was still cupping his shoulders, so he shrugged it off antagonistically. Sighing in mock hurt, Ivan took a seat on the other side of him. "It is nice to see you, too. My, what a lovely day." Ivan resisted rolling his eyes. It was a horrible day. The sky was clear of clouds and that left more room for the sun to annoy Ivan. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your neck?" He smiled to himself, feeling rather coy. He tried not to let Alfred see the suspicious edge to his smile. At first he had been a little peeved whenever he found out that he couldn't completely erase the event from Alfred's mind. He still recognized Ivan, but seemed not to register that he was the one who inflicted the wound to his neck. But he had to admit now that he preferred Alfred to have some memory of him.

Alfred shrugged off the hand on his shoulder after it stayed there longer then he was comfortable with. Alfred sighed as the creep sat down across from him without being invited to. "Could have fooled me." He mumbled in response to Ivan's comment on not having a middle name. Alfred just sullenly ate his food when Ivan commented on the weather, determined to ignore strange and intimidating man. At the question about the bite his neck Alfred looked up as Ivan smiled coyly at him. With a snort, Alfred replied, "And why should I tell the man who attempted to molest me in an alley anything?" He then proceeded to stuff his face. Despite his obvious dissatisfaction with Ivan being there, he still didn't just get up and leave and that made Alfred question himself why.

Ivan's smile softened into a friendlier one, his pale lashes dropping and brushing against his cheeks slightly as he sent Alfred a smoldering look. He watched as the other squirmed a bit under his too friendly gaze, obviously uncomfortable. It would be so easy to just enthrall Alfred and lead him outside. He could take him back to his dorm and spend the rest of the afternoon fucking around with him. But where was the fun in that? There was no competition whatsoever in that aspect. Even without the use of his magic, Ivan could still bring a blush to just about anyone's face if he tried hard enough. "I believe you and I…we got off to a bad start. You have to forgive me. I just found you so attractive and enchanting." Ivan extended his hand across the table, holding it in midair as he continued. "So how about we start over? My name is Ivan Braginsky."

Alfred blushed lightly at the comment but managed to still give Ivan a skeptical look, meeting his violet eyes and muttering sarcastically. "Pshh, yeah, sure that's why." But reluctantly shook Ivan's hand. "I'm Alfred F. Jones, but just 'cause I'm doing this doesn't mean I don't have my eyes on you! Lest you be some serial killer or something." Alfred stated, not realizing Ivan could be considered an actual serial killer.

"A serial killer?" Ivan drew his hands over his heart, sending Alfred a hurt look. "That's awfully mean of your to presume, Alfred." Ivan lowered his hands and began drumming them on the tabletops. His nails made faint pin-like noises on the surface. "I don't think serial killers come back to apologize to their victims." He watched an uneasy shudder ripple through Alfred. "I've noticed that you're not working." Alfred sent him that infamous 'you don't say' look. Ivan dismissed it. "Do you only work certain days, or…?" He trailed off, hoping that Alfred would indulge him. Ivan loved playing with his food.

Alfred rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Yeah, I only work some days. On others, like today, I go to class. I'm a foreign exchange student and attend a sister college to the one I go to back in the States. By the way, you don't sound like you're French either. Where are you from?" Alfred asked in slight curiosity. Ivan had a slight accent when speaking English and an even bigger one when he spoke French and it had been bugging Alfred as they spoke. Besides, if they were going to play twenty questions, Alfred wanted to at least ask some of the questions.

"I'm Russian." Ivan flashed a quick smile. "Are you going to call me a communist now and accuse me of corrupting your perfect capitalist ideals?" He meant it as a joke, but it came out sounding a little sterner than it should have. Ivan had been in the middle of the entire Cold War era. He'd traveled back and forth various times from America to Russia, and the hostility between the two nations was hung out in the open. McCarthyism was a dark time for Americans and anyone who was accused of being associated with the Communist Party had been put on trial. A lot of innocent people were incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. Seeing the hard look on Alfred's face, Ivan backtracked his words. "Ah, forgive me. That sounded much sharper than it should have. I believe you're more sensible than that, right?"

Those words stung Alfred a bit. He was tired of people learning he's American and assuming he was some racist, ignorant, and fat loud mouth. It was kind of true that he was a bit loud and obnoxiously energetic at times, and maybe he's not quite up to date with current affairs, but he didn't appreciate the quizzes people would give him to prove he was just another stereotype. He'd learned to ignore the hushed slurs of, "typical American." when he got some fast food or spoke just a bit too loudly. But while in Paris, he'd gotten used to it. Besides, it's not like everyone was prejudice towards him. Trying to push the slight hurt away, Alfred just gave him a teasing and somewhat cocky grin, "You know I wouldn't have thought to call you that...but now that you mention it, I think I will!" He laughed loudly, trying to over compensate to make it sound like a real laugh. His laughter trailed off, and then he continued to munch on his burger.

Ivan grimaced slightly. He could already hear the slurs. Communist bastard! God, like he hadn't heard enough of that in the last fifty years. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. However…you said you were an exchange student, right? If you don't mind me asking, what is it that you're studying?"

Alfred's eyes lit up in slight excitement, blue eyes shining as they looked at Ivan with almost childish glee. "Oh! I'm studying literature. More specifically since I'm here, I'm studying French literature." He really hoped Ivan asked him why he wanted to study that. The blonde could honestly ramble on and on about the burst in French literature during the Enlightenment period with its mastery of Romanticism!

"Ahh." Ivan said off handedly. He remembered that time period perfectly. Everyone developed a fixation with the French and their exploitation of love and romance and all those other mushy feelings. Even the British, who were dead set against anything French had a soft spot for their literary works. "Da, the French are quite notorious for their connotation of romance in their works. Am I correct?" Of course Ivan knew he was already correct, but he said it more out of need for conversation than anything. Alfred had already seemingly gotten over his aversion to Ivan. The Russian vampire mused that all he would need to do to get the blonde to lighten up is bring up French literature.

Alfred nodded and grinned, glad that Ivan at least knew a knew what he was talking about. "Romanticism wasn't all about romance you know! It was a movement that validated strong emotion, put emphasis on individual acts of heroism whose examples elevated society and it encouraged individual imagination. It was a reaction to the harsh realities that had come from the Industrial Revolution, people wanting to escape the over population of urban cities and the scientific rationalization of nature and people. Of course, not all French literature during the eighteenth century was solely Romanticism; Philosophers such as Voltaire, was against the power and censorship the Monarchy in France was abusing. There were also the Lumières, who analyzed society with rationalism and science, as well as questioned all institutions including the church and state. They were censored by the French government, which Voltaire condem-" Alfred stopped mid-sentence and blushed a bit, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, um, sorry. I must be boring you with this little history session, huh?" Alfred couldn't help but babble on and on about the things he likes. It was often hard to get a word in edge wise when he became like that. It often led others to get bored, or turned off by his constant talking and ranting.

"No, no. I find it quite interesting, actually. I rather like people who possess high intellect." Alfred had fairly surprised him. Ivan half expected Alfred to be one of those clueless, uncultured types. So it was rather pleasing to see that he was actually smart. "I would rather listen to that than some mindless babbling. I hear enough of that daily." It was true. Once again, Ivan's acute hearing could prove to be both a blessing and a curse. He often ended up hearing things that he'd much rather not hear. The amount of strange, almost mentally disturbed people always perturbed him, but he had grown somewhat used to it. He wasn't exactly normal himself. "So tell me…what is your favorite aspect of French literature? You seemed very fond about the 'heroic' part."

Alfred blushed a bit at being considered an intellectual and smiled sheepishly at Ivan. "T-Thanks man." Alfred nodded his head at Ivan's question. "Yeah, I mean when I was a kid, I loved super heroes and that jazz. I'm actually really into comic books! I personally like that portion of Romanticism in general. It just sorta warms the heart, you know? Even with a world full of people hurting and taking advantage of other people, it's nice to consider that there are at least a few people capable of completely selfless acts of kindness and heroism. Of course, I've always been a bit of an optimist." Alfred laughed a bit and scratched the back of his head. Slowly, he was becoming less apprehensive around Ivan, though he was far from completely trusting the man. Alfred looked up curiously into Ivan's amethyst eyes, "What about you? You seem to know your stuff, so what's your favorite form of literature or genre or category?"

"I mostly enjoy poetry. More specifically, poetry from the Russian Symbolism period. Dmitry Merezhkovsky is one of my favorites. Did you know he almost won a Nobel Prize for his work? Unfortunately he didn't. It still bothers me to this day." Ivan hoped that Alfred didn't realize who he was talking about. After all, that was way back in 1933. "He was a great religious thinker. So much of Russia's history helped to shape what he wrote. As the country evolved, so did he and his views." Ivan's thoughts flickered briefly to 1905: Blood Sunday. He'd been there that day, too. It was easily one of the most horrifying days in his existence. So many innocent people gunned down…just because they wanted better wages and work hours. "Soviet Russia, as you might know, was very iffy about religion and Christianity. Merezhkovsky actually put himself in self-exile because of his conflicting views with the country and himself. Do you believe that? He was very devoted." Religion didn't hold much meaning to Ivan, but it was still a very interesting subject. It amused him how the simple text of a book could shift and shape a person's life so drastically. "Ahh, I am the one rambling now. Forgive me. I'm a little more interested in history than literature."

While Ivan was talking, Alfred continued to finish his burger and was now sipping his coffee. Flashing Ivan a reassuring smile, he said, "No, you're cool dude. You have to know at least a little history to fully understand what an author is writing about. If you don't know at least a little bit of the time period it was written in you can't fully appreciate the book or what the author was saying, especially when you take into consideration works that address social issues of the time period. Besides, the only Russian poet I really know about is Pushkin, so it's interesting to hear about another one!" Alfred hadn't really gotten into Russian literature yet. Of course he's read stuff like War and Peace, but other than that they really hadn't covered a lot of Russian literature in his classes. So, Alfred was enjoying himself talking to Ivan about this stuff, considering he was the only person outside his classes other than Arthur and Francis that knew what he was talking about. Alfred blushed a bit and asked a bit nervously, "So um...you're Russian and speak Russian, right?" Alfred mentally face palmed. Of course he spoke Russian.

Sensing the sudden shift in Alfred's voice, Ivan leaned forward a bit, a smile plastered upon his pale lips. "Da? Why? Is it maybe that you…нравится звук моего русского языка?" Like the sound of my Russian? He watched with a sly smile as Alfred's face heated up, his cheeks turning a delicious looking shade of red as the blood pooled in his face. Ivan almost caught himself licking his lips at the gesture. "I can speak more of it, if you wish." It would be kind of silly, since Alfred most likely wouldn't understand a word of it. But if it got the other so flustered and hot…Ivan might as well speak exclusively in Russian.

"A-Actually I sorta wanted to hear you quote some of this Merezhkovsky guy, if ya don't mind of course." No, Alfred was not blushing because he found Ivan speaking Russian hot. Nope, he's a creepy creeper and he only wants to hear him recite some poetry in Russian for purely intellectual reasons! Like hearing poetry how it was supposed to be said, instead of translated. Well, at least that's what Alfred kept repeating in his mind as his cheeks flushed.

"Hmm, okay. I believe there are some lines I can recite for you. Once in Russian, and then I'll repeat it in English, da? After all, I don't want the meaning getting lost to you." Taking a deep breath, Ivan closed his eyes, trying to find an appropriate line to recite. He smiled a little whenever a seemingly perfect verse came to mind. He began reciting the poem in Russian, the words trailing out of his mouth effortlessly and perfectly without the first stutter or misplacement of words. After a minute or so of speaking softly, he opened his eyes and looked over at Alfred.

The look on Alfred's face was one of pure curiosity. His eyes slightly wide, and his lips parted slightly, he listened intently with a small blush on his face. He hadn't even heard what the poem meant yet. Pausing for a moment, Ivan allowed himself to go over his words and then recited the poem back in English.

"The soul that shame and fear are scourging  
Crawls through a mist of dust and blood.  
From dust, great God, my spirit purging,  
Oh, spare me from love's bitter flood!

Is pity's wall alone unshaken?  
I pray to God, I cry in vain,  
More weary, by all hope forsaken;  
Resistless love grows great again.

There is no freedom, unforgiven,  
We live as slaves, by life consumed;  
We perish, tortured, bound and driven,  
Promised to death, and to love doomed."

He trailed off softly, his voice fading like a faint whisper. For a moment, there was nothing but a gentle and welcomed silence between the two of them. Ivan lowered his violet eyes to the table, his pale lashes brushing once again against his cheeks. "That was from 'The Curse of Love'. It's one of my personal favorites." The silence carried off for a bit longer. Ivan was beginning to grow little uncomfortable. Perhaps he had spoken too much…

Alfred let the poem replay in his head, Ivan's soft voice echoing in his mind as he dissected the words to find its meaning. Shivering slightly, Alfred said quietly for once, "That was beautiful Ivan. Chilling, but beautiful." Alfred's blue eyes sparkled as he smiled sincerely at the paler man, "I just might have to look this guy up if all his work is like that one." He then let out some laughter as he questioned Ivan. "So I take it you don't love through rose tinted vision?" He never stuck Ivan as a romantic, but then again, most people wouldn't peg Alfred himself as one. He was certainly a closet case in that department.

"I appreciate 'romantic' things. But it irks me a bit how it is portrayed in this era. Everyone assumes that love is this wonderful thing with no consequences or pain. Like you're supposed to do the thing where you stare into someone's eyes, kiss them, then proclaim your love in the most beautiful way. It's…naïve, to say the least. No, I appreciate romance whenever it is portrayed correctly." Ivan hummed in though, catching Alfred's slightly perplexed gaze. "I suppose that sort of goes against the whole French Romanticism thing, doesn't it?" Sighing disdainfully, Ivan continued. "Anyway, most of what people refer to as 'love' these days is nothing but a short sighted excuse for lust. They crave the body, not the heart." That was exactly the case with Alfred. Ivan had an undeniable taste for his blood, but…no real desire beyond that. Maybe a good, bloody fuck or two, but nothing else. At least, that's what he thought. The blonde did have wonderful taste in literature…

Alfred guessed that made sense, though even though he was a closet romantic, he wasn't stupid. Love was a lot of hard work, and it wasn't all roses and chocolate hearts. Alfred liked to think there was such a thing as 'true love' and happily ever after. Even if happily ever after came with conflict every once and a while. Not wishing to let the creepy , but now bearable Russian know exactly what his somewhat hopeful views were, he nodded. "Yeah, I see your point. It's funny. In today's society, people will throw around 'I love you' almost freely...not that I'm not guilty of that from time to time, but still. That, or people are so afraid of commitment that they're afraid to say it even if they feel it." Alfred mused; it was quite the paradox, that's for sure. "So I take it you've never been in love or was at least burnt by it?" The questioned bubbled out of Alfred before he realized what he just asked. Actually face palming this time, he cursed under his breath. "Shit, sorry man. That's a bit personal. You don't have to answer that, it just sorta...slipped out." Alfred groaned, they barely knew each other. He shouldn't have asked that, especially since he didn't want to share his love life either.

"It's fine." Ivan contemplated for a few short seconds. "You could say I have run into some troubles with…'love'. Though, the love part was entirely someone else's part. I was just an innocent bystander caught in the mix up." He tried to hide the shiver that coursed through his being. He could still hear the sharp claws raking down a heavy oak door and a raspy, whispery voice repeating his name over and over. Thank goodness his fledgling days were long over. "In all honesty, I have never let myself fall in love. I don't see the point in it." What was the point? If it was a vampire, you ran the risk of being backstabbed. If it was a human, they would age and wither away before your very eyes. To Ivan, there was just absolutely no appeal to the thought. Lust, he could understand. Love, he couldn't.

Alfred just awkwardly shuffled in his seat. "I uh, see. Sorry to hear that dude. So you're a one night stand and leave a trail of broken hearts behind kinda guy?" Well this was disappointing to hear for some reason. Oh, well. It's not like Alfred was looking for a relationship or anything. Then it hit him, and he scowled angrily. "Wait, if you are…then does that mean you're only talking to me because you'd think I'd be good fuck? Sorry, I' not into that sorta thing." Not that Alfred hasn't messed around before, but that was usually when he was drunk and some girl caught his eye. And he had been in relationships before...even with a guy, but that hadn't turned out well...

"So what if I am? What if I'm not? Can we ever really be sure?" Ivan smiled a wicked smile, disregarding the offended look on Alfred's face. "These things happen on impulse. But you also have to take into consideration…would I have come back to talk to you after yesterday? It would have been easy for me to forget about you and move on. Let me tell you something, Alfred." With that, Ivan leaned partially over the table, causing Alfred to rear back in his own seat. He could hear the creaking of the wood trying to resist the pressure of Alfred's back. "I could easily lay anyone I wanted to. Don't get all conclusive on me and assume I'm after you for those types of reasons. If that were the case, then I wouldn't even bother having all this nice conversation with you." Standing up from the small table, Ivan gazed down at the shocked blonde. "I believe that is enough talking for now. I will see you later, da?" He sent the American a playful wink before turning away from him.

Alfred was gaping in shock at the retreating Russian's back, watching as the man disappeared into the Paris crowed. Alfred couldn't help but think that not only was this a guy a creep, but he was a completely over confident dick! What confused Alfred though was the fact that he felt somewhat pleased by Ivan's apparent intentions of talking to him again, despite how utterly infuriating the man was, too Alfred. With a scowl, Alfred quickly cleaned up his lunch and headed to his dorm in hopes that doing work for his classes would push the attractive, flattering (hey, he did call Alfred enchanting and intelligent), infuriating, and creepy Russian out of his mind.


	3. Nightly Visit

It was midnight by the time he completed most of his assignments for the classes he took today that were due next week. This is, of course, including the thirty minute walk he took around the dorm area and dinner. Luckily he didn't need to buy his dinner, considering Francis would give Alfred left overs every week for the American to eat for dinner. Though flirtatious and perverted, Francis was a very generous and thoughtful person deep down and Alfred was grateful to both him and Arthur for being his friend and looking out him. Alfred sees them as both friends and parental figures in a sense, and Alfred was pretty sure they viewed him as something like a little brother.

Stepping out of the quick shower he took, Alfred threw on some boxers and a tank top. Flopping face down on his bed, the blonde quickly went into a light doze, not sensing the looming presence behind him.

Ivan had slipped into Alfred's room unnoticed while the other had taken a shower. He had hidden in the dark corner of the room, taking refuge in the heavy shadows there. He heard the shower shut off, and soon Alfred had emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, his scent even stronger and purer than before. Ivan inhaled deeply, but quietly enough so that Alfred wouldn't hear him. His mouth watered again at the sweet smelling blond. Ivan waited until Alfred had lain down, pulling the covers up to his chin and turning on his side. As silent as a ghost, he walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down on the edge carefully. He swept his legs up over the edge and laid down gently beside Alfred, the blonde's tan back facing him. Ivan smiled at the openness of Alfred's neck. It was the side that he hadn't bitten and it was free of the marred skin and darkened bruises. With pursed lips, he reached out stroked Alfred's neck with his finger, taking delight in the shiver that racked Alfred's body.

Ivan scooted closer just a little bit so Alfred's golden hair brushed against his nose slightly. He inclined his head down, inhaling Alfred's delicious scent once again. A hungry shudder coursed through him and he let out a shaky breath, his cool breath fanning the back of Alfred's neck.

When Ivan had brushed his neck, Alfred slightly stirred from his sleep. As soon as Alfred felt a cool puff of air hit the back of his neck, Alfred's eyes opened quickly as he turned and shot up from his bed. He looked back at Ivan with terrified and wide blue eyes, blanket clenched in his hands. As Alfred took in the slightly startled expression he gave the Russian from his sudden awakening, he felt himself tense up more and red hot blush creep on his face. "W-What the hell Ivan! How did you get in here!? Why are you here!? Get the hell out, you creep!" Alfred yelled, his voice becoming more a bit higher pitched the more flustered and enraged he became. Seriously, what was this guy's deal?

Ivan only giggled once his initial surprise swept past him. He took in Alfred's expression. It was one of pure embarrassment and annoyance. Leaning forward slightly, he spoke in a low voice. "But I don't want to leave." He reached out, grabbing the blonde's chin and tugged him forward into a kiss. Alfred's lips were soft and unmoving beneath his, but that was beside the point. It was still enjoyable. Ivan ran his tongue across them, tasting and moaning at the flavor. "Mmm…" He hummed against the blonde's mouth.

Alfred was frozen in shock for a moment, his mind trying to make sense of this. Before his mind could catch up to his body, he felt his own lips begin to move with Ivan's own cold and firm ones. He moaned a bit and slightly opened his mouth as Ivan's cool and wet tongue slid over his lips. Soon the said tongue slipped through the tiny gap and into his warm mouth. It was then that Alfred's mind caught up with the situation, causing him to tense and begin pushing Ivan away to which Ivan just wrapped one arm around Alfred's waist, turning him and then sliding the sunshine blonde to rest in his lap. As Ivan continued to ravage Alfred's mouth and keep a firm hold on his waist, Alfred lifted up his hand to punch the man. Only this time around, Ivan caught Alfred's fist mid swing, and pulled away from the kiss allowing Alfred to breath. Alfred felt himself blush more and a not entirely unpleasant shiver ran down his tense back at the sly smirk the Russian was giving him. He saw violet eyes seem to glow and his mind became fuzzier, causing him to relax both the fist in Ivan's hand and the rest of his body.

Ivan felt the muscles of Alfred's body relaxing under his eyes. Sky blue eyes became clouded and foggy, and the blonde cast a heavily entranced gaze back into Ivan's eyes. Pressing a small kiss to Alfred's lips, Ivan pulled away again and let his hand brush some still damp strands of hair out of Alfred's eyes. "Our time together last time was so short and rushed. I couldn't help myself. I kept thinking about you all evening." Nuzzling his nose against Alfred's neck – the good, unmarked side – he sighed out contently. "I can't get the taste of you out of my mind. You are so sweet and creamy." A tongue poked out of Ivan's lip and he ran it over the tan skin of Alfred's neck, relishing in the taste. Acting as if he was about to clamp down on the spot, he abruptly pulled back and cupped each side of Alfred's face. "So I was thinking that this time we could fool around just a bit longer? You do have such a nice body…such pretty eyes, hair, and skin. You remind me of a sunflower field under bright blue skies. Happy and beautiful." Ivan ran his hand down the front on Alfred's chest, eyes roaming hungrily.

Alfred was unable to really think about what was going on. All he knew was that he both wanted and didn't want this. It was so confusing. It felt like he had lost most of his free will, but he himself wasn't quite sure if he would have even stopped Ivan in his right frame of mind. His body was taking over his actions rather than his head now. Flushing at Ivan's sweet and slightly odd words, Alfred let out a shaky gasp as Ivan continued to stroke his chest.

Smiling innocently, Ivan slid his hand around the back of Alfred's neck and up into his hair. He pressed the other forward until their lips were connected in a kiss again. Ivan's tongue pressed insistently against Alfred's lips, and he felt them part underneath it with ease. Playfully caressing the other's tongue with his own, he allowed his other hand to roam across Alfred's body. He ran it up the blonde's outer thighs before trailing it back down to his knee. It glided over and he repeated the process on Alfred's inner thigh, eliciting a shuddering breath from him. Grabbing Alfred by the knee, he instructed the other to shift a bit in his lap so that now Alfred's legs were straddling him. They wrapped around him, Alfred's ankles locking behind Ivan and his heels digging into the small of Ivan's back. Sliding his hands around Alfred's waist, he tugged the blonde gently against his body, feeling a small tingle of pleasure at the contact of their groins. "A-Ah…mmm, Alfred~" Ivan purred against the American's lips. He bit down on the side of Alfred's lip slightly, causing a small bead of blood to well up. Sucking it off of the small cut softly, he gave another, satisfied moan.

Alfred felt himself shiver more at the caressing. He felt Ivan nip at his lip as he kissed the blued eyed blonde, causing Alfred to let out a tiny whimper and moan at the sucking on his injured lip. As cold and strong hands settled on his waist, Alfred tangled his fingers in Ivan's hair. Mind still in a haze, he felt himself roll his hips slowly in Ivan's lap, causing their clothed groins to rub together.

Ivan was a little surprised at Alfred reciprocating the gesture. Usually most enthralled victims are like rag-dolls, waiting to be maneuvered around and played with. But Alfred still had a little bit of awareness. This only served to please Ivan further. After all, it meant that Alfred was doing it out of his own free will. Rewarding the blonde with a searing kiss, he eventually trailed his lips to the corner of Alfred's mouth, down his chin, across his jawline, and finally down his neck. Once again, Ivan was met with strong temptation. Just a thin layer of skin protected Alfred from his fangs, and it would be like slicing through butter with a hot knife for Ivan. Giving his neck a long, languid lick, he moistened the skin up before closing his mouth over it and sinking his fangs in. Alfred jolted a little in his arms, gasping loudly at the intrusion in his skin. Ivan's tongue was immediately hit with a wave of warm, creamy, thick blood. His violet eyes fluttered shut of their own accord as his senses were once again assaulted by the delicious taste of Alfred. He didn't allow himself to drink much, though. After a few short seconds, he pulled away with a breathy exhale, his lips dotted in blood. Alfred hadn't even bled that much. There was only a little bit of blood oozing from the bite wound, unlike last time where it had covered and dripped down his neck and into his clothing. Of course, last time Ivan hadn't been so gentle, either.

Feeling a little brave and wanting to hear the blonde's reaction, Ivan momentarily broke the spell, letting the magic fade out of his eyes. If Alfred was going to be difficult, he could just put him back into that state of submissiveness. Licking his lips free of the blood, Ivan whispered sweetly. "You taste so good, Alfred."

Despite his heart screaming no, his body was screaming yes, leaving Alfred's head a confused mess. Not knowing how to respond to his head, and not believing what he was seeing, Alfred let his body take control. Clouding his mind in a different way, he allowed himself to moan out, as he pulled Ivan into another kiss and grinding harder into Ivan's lap. He enjoyed the low groan Ivan gave in return. He didn't want this, but then again he did and Alfred was lost, but this felt right. So maybe tonight he'll have moment of weakness and let the attractive, mysterious, and frustrating Russian play with him. He refused, however, to go any farther than that. He may allow Ivan to do this to him just tonight, but there was no way in hell he was allowing the jerk to take that from him. He didn't trust, or even like the Russian much less love him enough to let this jerk take him. This was just moment of release of tension, nothing more.

Ivan eagerly returned the kiss, lips and tongue and teeth all meeting in a frenzy at he tried to snatch control back from Alfred. He was expecting another attempt punch to the face, but this was completely beyond his expectations. He could feel Alfred grounding himself down onto his hardening cock, and Ivan's breathing began to come out in quick, heavy pants. Leaning back onto the bed, he brought Alfred down with him, his hands wrapping around the American and pressing them tightly together. Alfred was still straddling his waist, grinding down eagerly in a rhythmic fashion. Ivan could briefly see Alfred's own cock straining against his boxers, the fabric slightly wet from precum. He licked his lips hungrily, threading his hand through Alfred's hair and jerking his head slightly to the side. He refocused his efforts on the blonde's neck, tongue and lips sucking and abusing the slightly bloody skin. He ran his tongue over the swollen, raised marks, poking it into the small puncture wounds and making Alfred gasp and hiss slightly. Pulling back just a tad so that his lips were just beneath the other's ear, Ivan laughed darkly. "Do you know what I am, Alfred? Do you know what I want to do to you?" He inclined his head a bit, stealing another droplet of blood that had built up on Alfred's neck. "I can smell arousal all over you. It's making me thirsty again..."

Alfred didn't know what Ivan meant by his first question, but the second one made him shiver in anticipation. "I-Ivan," He moaned, wondering what the presumably older man was going to him. He then felt Ivan turn his face towards his again. Alfred's lust filled gaze peered down into darkened violet, before they were glowing again and Alfred felt that familiar fuzzy feeling in his mind.

"I don't want you panicking on me, sweetheart." Ivan explained quietly. He stole another kiss from Alfred, catching the dazed and fogged blonde off guard with it. He sucked the other's tongue into his mouth, tasting and teasing and relishing the flavor of Alfred's mouth. Alfred's body went lax in his arms, his weight resting comfortably and almost unnoticeably on top of Ivan. He maneuvered Alfred's head up a little, exposing his bare neck once again. Trailing wet kisses down it, he continued along Alfred's collarbone until the angle became too uncomfortable for his head. Grabbing the blonde's shoulder, he easily rolled Alfred over onto his back and continued trailing his cold lips along his collarbone and down his chest. He stopped just before a pale, blue vein, contemplating whether or not to bite down. Finally giving in to the larger instinct, he sank his fangs into Alfred once more, causing the other to arch slightly off the bed. Blood flooded steadily into his mouth, causing Ivan to moan and suck softly. It warmed his throat and his stomach, sating his renewed thirst and bathing him in a soft glow. He could feel the warmth in his fingertips, the feeling incredibly pleasant.

Alfred let out a gasp as he felt something pierce through his skin smoothly. The sensation, though slightly painful, was at the same time pleasurable. He felt a soft sucking where Ivan was biting the skin, causing another moan to slip past his lips. He had the strangest sense of déjà vu…

Pulling back with a wet suck, Ivan stared down at the flustered and blushing blonde with hungry eyes. His lips were wet and smeared with blood, his mouth coated in the tasty liquid. A line of blood dribbled down his chin and dripped onto Alfred's skin. Leaning down slowly, he caught the American's lips in a bloody kiss, red-stained tongue invading the other's mouth. A whimper sounded from Alfred, and Ivan felt himself needing more physical contact. Crawling between the blonde's legs, he began grinding down into Alfred at a slow rhythm, breathing becoming heavy as they brushed their clothed cocks against each other. Ivan rested his head on Alfred's chest, turning it to the side and gazing into the other side of the room while his hips continued their little tempo. He felt Alfred wrap his arms around him, pulling Ivan even tighter against his almost feverish body. Slim legs wrapped around him and he could feel Alfred bucking his hips up into Ivan in time with his grinding. Ivan closed his eyes, moaning in a low, thick voice.

Alfred felt a steady flow of pleasure run to his groin as Ivan continued to grind against him. Panting by this point at the coil of tension in his abdomen forming from the pleasure, Alfred let out a needy whine. "F-Faster!" He was barely able to say it because of the fogginess clouding him mind. He felt Ivan pick up the pace, increasing Alfred's moans and gasps as he enjoyed this moment.

Pleased at the blonde's urging, Ivan obliged, grinding harder and faster in Alfred. He could feel the younger man clawing at his clothed back, fingers raking up and into his scarf. They slid easily into his thick, platinum locks, tugging in a silent plea. Ivan's pace didn't falter. Where mortals may have begun to feel exhausted and would slow their pace a bit, he only kept the same, rough, undulating movement of his hips up. Alfred was a panting and moaning mess below him, staring up into the ceiling with lidded eyes and parted lips. A small line of drool spilled from his lips and down onto the pillow. Ivan grabbed onto Alfred's wrist, tugging it to his mouth. He pressed an icy kiss to it before biting down quickly. Alfred managed a choked whimper, but it was quickly lost in the sea of pants and moans spilling from his lips. Drinking slowly and making sure not to drain the blonde too much, Ivan moaned against the skin of Alfred's wrist at the joint pleasure on his cock and his taste buds.

The blonde stiffening suddenly below him, he arched off the bed, giving a loud moan and digging his nails into Ivan's back. The front of Alfred's boxers became damp with his cum. He fell back into the sheets with a sated sigh, chest heaving up and down and a hazy, satisfied smile on his face. Ivan continued gyrating his hips into Alfred, climbing higher and higher on his pleasure high before letting loose a hoarse cry and finishing himself. For a moment, it was just the sound of him and Alfred breathing in unison, completely relaxed in the warm, tingly afterglow of an orgasm. Ivan released his wrist, licking his lips and collecting any leftover blood. Unbuttoning the sleeve of his coat and unwinding his scarf, he exposed his pale neck and cut a thin line with his nails, just as he had in the alley way. Though Alfred didn't really show any protest, other than the attempted punch of course, Ivan wasn't about to take any chances. He rested his weight against the blonde in a way that wouldn't smother him and angled his neck so that it was presented before Alfred's lips. "Drink it." Ivan commanded, still slightly breathless from his own orgasm.

Alfred, a bit weak from the blood loss, and mind still in that magical fog was still lightly clinging to Ivan. More gently this time and with less of a hunger, he sucked on the wound on Ivan's neck. The once again familiar taste of iron and the warm feelings in the pit of his stomach returned as he ingested the vampire's blood. Soon the fuzzy feeling in his mind disappeared and darkness once again was slowly engulfing him. Before sleep consumed him, Alfred used the last of his strength to roll Ivan and him to the side, Ivan's back facing the door as Alfred clung and cuddled against him. "G'night..." He mumbled sleepily.

Ivan laughed quietly at Alfred, finding the sleepy and dazed blond cute. He kissed the corner of Alfred's mouth, lapping at the blood a bit. "Goodnight Alfred~" He whispered in a feathery voice. Ivan would not be getting any sleep tonight – he never slept and hadn't been asleep for centuries. But he would lie here with Alfred in his cozy little bed and watch him sleep peacefully. Before the sun would rise, he would leave, but he would place a gentle kiss to Alfred's lips before doing so. Walking down the halls of the dorm and out into the warm night air, Ivan's thoughts became jumbled. Alfred should be afraid of him. He should tremble at his presence, be disgusted by his advances, and fear him for feeding off of him. He was accepting when under the haze of his magic, but so was everyone else. But even in that short amount of time where his free will reigned, he hadn't outright rejected Ivan. Instead, there was this uncertainty to his actions, as though Alfred was contemplating whether or not to give in and accept Ivan for what he was. There was just that little wall of doubt separating them from each other and that mask of lies.

Biting his bottom lip, Ivan straightened out his scarf and then pocketed his hands in his coat. Dried blood was on his chin, but it was too early for anyone to see him out and about. Sorting through his thoughts and choices again, Ivan decided that he would come back to the café to visit Alfred again. Perhaps it would be interesting, to see what kind of story the blonde had for his new 'bug bites'. Chuckling to himself, Ivan continued walking along the darkened street, ignoring the protective deep blue and emerald eyes watching him antagonistically.

"What do you suggest we do about this... parasite, mon petit lapin?" Francis sneered as he watched Ivan's retreating back. The smug bastard thought he could just feed off of Alfred? Francis wouldn't allow that, and he definitely knew Arthur wouldn't. They had both grown a soft spot for the little human. Even though he was brash, loud and obnoxious at times, the boy had a heart of gold and was so eager to please and wanted attention. They wouldn't let some other vampire take advantage of Alfred. The last thing they wanted was for said vampire to end up draining Alfred completely.

"Other than swoop in, decapitate him, and burn the body?" Arthur growled, fangs white as snow against the moonlight. Easier said than done. Just from the small meeting the night before, Arthur could tell that Ivan was no simple hungry degenerate. He was an old vampire – a very powerful, experienced vampire. More powerful than he and Francis, but not by much. However, it would be stupid to risk each other in a fight against him. Sighing, Arthur continued looking on, slightly defeated. "We'll have to keep watching him for now, until we can come up with an effective way to handle this situation." They would need to come up with a way to rid Alfred of Ivan without the former finding out.

With a frown, Francis nodded in agreement. They may not like it, but this was really all they could do for now. Francis then questioned, "Should we keep our distance from Alfred so he is not suspicious and so there's less of a chance that Ivan notices us? Or should we continue on as normal so as not to alarm le petit Alfred in that way?" They had to be careful of how they played this. If Ivan notices their presence with the boy before they want him to, he could either attack them or just kill Alfred. At the same time, though, they didn't want Alfred getting too suspicious of their actions. They'd rather avoid Alfred asking questions, but if things got too jumbled for them, they could easily just erase Alfred's memories of ever seeing them in that moment.

"Continue acting normal." Arthur answered stiffly. "There's no need to get the bloody idiot worked up because he thought he did something to hurt us. It'll only make things worse, anyway. Alfred will be asking everyone around if they've seen us, and he might even bring the issue up to…whoever he is." Standing up from where they were sitting at the edge of the campus's roof, Arthur began heading for the rooftop door. "The sun is going to be rising soon. Best be there whenever Alfred wakes up so we can survey the damage and see if he remembers anything."

"Ah, but what excuse will we give for why we're there, Arthur?" Francis asked. As much as he wanted to make sure Alfred was alright, he also didn't want to raise the boy's suspicions. "I suggest we invite him over for...'dinner' and then try and squeeze out as much information as possible." The scruffy chinned vampire suggested.

"Damn…you're right." Arthur stopped at the door, his hand still resting on the handle. His eyes suddenly went wide and he shot the Frenchman a harsh glare. Francis only held up his hands to Arthur in confusion. "I do hope that whenever you say 'dinner', you're of course referring to human food." It was an established rule between the two of them that no matter how thirsty or tempting it may be, they would never lay a finger on Alfred. "Right, frog?"

Francis blinked in shock for a second, but then gave Arthur a wounded look. "Of course mon amour! How could I ever dream of giving Alfred English food? It is certainly not edible to most humans, even Americans~" Francis cried dramatically, even pulling out a hanky to dab away his fake tears. "Truly Arthur, I may be a Vampire, but I'm not cruel and monstrous!" Francis watched with inward amusement as Arthur became bright red in fury at Francis insulting English cooking, and the spiky blonde sputtered.

"J-…Ju-Just be quiet, you bloody Frenchie! Ugh!" Arthur ran a hand through his hair in an irritated fashion. "Let's just go already before the sun rises. I don't want to get a headache from it." Jerking the door open without much caution and almost tearing it off the hinges, Arthur disappeared into the dark stairway, not even checking to see if Francis was coming with him.

Francis chuckled at his lover getting so flustered. He followed the irritable Brit into the dark stairway as they made their way home. Hopefully they'll be able to come up with a plan before anything too bad happens to their favorite American.


	4. Unexpected Friendship

It was dark and almost like Alfred couldn't move his body, no matter how hard he tried. Then there was a flash of violet before a sudden and violent pain was felt at his neck, like something was mercilessly biting it. The mind numbing pain went on for what seemed like hours as Alfred screamed silently in agony, then as sudden as the pain was there it was gone. It had been replaced with a much more pleasurable sensation, like someone was now gently sucking and kissing his abused neck. Alfred felt something slowly trickle down his neck. Just as he reached up to touch his neck to see what it was, a beeping sound interrupted the soundless world Alfred had been in. Alfred suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in bed, resting his weight on one of his arms as it hoisted him up. He ran his other hand through his hair. "Was that a dream?" Alfred asked himself, a sleepy frown forming on his face. Alfred then remembered what had transpired last night, or at least he remembered some of it. He remembered Ivan had somehow gotten into his dorm, Ivan kissed him, and then it was a slight blur. Alfred was kissing back and grinding into the Russian. Another slight blur, and he remembered the orgasm and snuggling into the Russian wanting to get to sleep. Blushing and groaning, Alfred gritted out and slapped his clock to turn off the morning alarm. "God I'm such an idiot!" Speaking of which, where did Ivan go? Alfred scanned his room for the tall Russian, and when he saw that Ivan had left, Alfred couldn't help feel a ping of hurt in his heart. Shaking his head, he got up to get changed and head out to class, not wanting to deal with his abandonment issues.

After class, Alfred made his way through the crowed to the café. His thoughts wandered back to how many strange looks he'd gotten from his class mates when he came to class with what he assumed were love bites. It had been utterly embarrassing. Despite how annoyed Alfred felt at the moment towards the Russian, he couldn't help but feel hopeful that Ivan might be having lunch at the café now. But that was silly, considering that Ivan probably had a job and wouldn't wait all day for Alfred to show up at the café.

When he entered the café upon his arrival, he surveyed the grounds for a familiar head of ashen blonde. Not finding the Russian siting anywhere, Alfred felt a bit of disappointment fill him, much to his confusion. Alfred quickly collected his lunch from the chef and sat down at the nearest unoccupied seat and then began eating his sandwich, once again not noticing a looming presence behind him.

"Hello, Alfred~" Ivan spoke sweetly, laughing whenever Alfred jumped a bit in his chair and almost knocked his drink over. The blonde gave a few heaving pants before collecting himself and straightening everything on the table back out. Still laughing a little, Ivan made his way around to the opposite side. "My, how lovely to see you here again. How was your night?" Ivan's eyes drifted to the bite marks, unconcealed this time and out in the open for everyone to see. Most people would assume it was just Alfred's lover getting a little rough, but of course that wasn't the case at all. The bites were bruised, light purple and semi-dark blue congealed around the entry points. Ivan looked down at Alfred's wrist. It bore the same bruises.

Alfred snorted as the violet eyed man settled himself opposite of Alfred. "Oh, like you don't know. Considering you were there." Alfred grumbled as he looked down with a slight blush, shoving some sandwich into his mouth. The oblivious blonde didn't notice how Ivan tensed for a second in shock, his eyes widening. By the time Alfred looked up at the stunned Russian, he had composed himself. Hesitant blue eyes avoided Ivan as he blushed some and explained, "L-Listen, I don't know why, but most of last night was a blur...did...h-how far did we go?" Alfred woke up with his pants still on, but that didn't mean Ivan or himself couldn't have put them back on...Alfred didn't feel sore either, but he still had to check to make sure they hadn't done that.

"Oh, you know…other than passionately kissing and groping each other like a pair of hormone heavy teenagers, nothing more than that." Ivan answered, his tone playful and joking. It didn't help ease the blush on Alfred's face either. "You make the cutest noises, you know? I really like your voice, Alfred." It was true too, flattery aside. Alfred had a naturally cheerful sounding voice. It never failed to make him smile at the sound of it. "Why? Would it have bothered you if…something more had happened?"

Alfred flushed more at Ivan's teasing. "Y-You creepy jerk!" He proclaimed, rather flustered. Calming down a bit, he answered Ivan's other question, "W-Well it would have!" He really hoped Ivan didn't ask for an elaboration on his answer. He just knew if he admitted to being a...back door virgin, the Russian would tease him even more. Also, it might lead as to why Alfred was a virgin in that sense, but yet still had experience in the other departments of sex.

"Alright, I understand." Ivan held up his hands in a surrendering matter. They sat there, Alfred glaring slightly and Ivan smiling at him for a few seconds before the blonde huffed and turned his gaze to the side. Ivan lowered his hands, folding them over each other and setting them on the table. His amethyst eyes drifted back to the bite wounds on Alfred's neck. Reaching forward and across the small table, he ran his fingers over the newest addition. Alfred flinched under his touch and smacked his hand away. Unabashed, Ivan asked quietly. "Do they hurt at all?" He'd been much gentler this time around. If Alfred hadn't complained about the last wound, then why would this one be bothering him? But still, curiosity got the best of Ivan.

Alfred blushed a bit more. This time though, he felt a bit touched that Ivan was somewhat concerned about the bite marks. "Well, yeah. If ya touch them, of course they do! They're bruises after all." He huffed, avoiding eye contact with the curious Russian. He did however admit, "But it's not so bad if you don't touch them..." Alfred was relieved that Ivan didn't ask him about why he didn't want to have gone too far with him last night.

Laughing a little, Ivan replied. "Well, I suppose that only makes sense." Not wanting to linger on the subject of their time together last night out of fear of scaring Alfred away, Ivan decided to go to a much friendlier subject. "Tell me, Alfred…do you have any friends? Family? What made you want to come to France to study, besides all the Romanticism and what not." He twirled his hand in the air at the mention of French literature for emphasis.

Alfred squirmed a little bit. "Y-Yeah, um…I came to France because like I said, I love literature! I don't know exactly what I'll do with the major, maybe become a writer or teacher? I have Arthur and Francis as friends here! We met about a month ago. They're a couple, but we all three get along really well. Even if we argue a lot! Um, I have some friends back home, but more like they're people I hang out with and party with...not many close ones. We kinda drifted apart after high school. And well, I had a twin brother, mother and father." He said casually with a forced big grin. He really hoped Ivan hadn't caught the past tense when referring to his family. Alfred still felt a slight sting in his heart whenever he talked about his family.

"Had?" Ivan repeated stiffly? "What do you mean by that? Unless they were….I'm sorry. I mean, if they were in some sort of accident." All of a sudden, Ivan felt bad for bringing up the subject of Alfred's family. He seemed like the type of guy who would be family oriented. "I'm also sorry about your friends. But you told me you've made new ones, right? Arthur and Francis?" Smirking slightly, Ivan continued. "Will I get to meet them anytime soon?"

Alfred looked alarmed at Ivan. "Oh, no! They didn't all die in some horrible accident or something...well, actually one did...but my parents they...UGH." Alfred groaned, face hitting the table with a soft thunk. "Yeah...you can meet Francis and Artie if you want." Alfred really didn't want to tell his sob story to Ivan, he hated being pitied. At the same time though, he really didn't want Ivan to misunderstand his situation...Giving a defeated and dramatic sigh, Alfred detached his face from the table. Looking up at Ivan, his blue eyes saddened as he gave him a small smile he asked, "Um...about my family, I'll tell you about them if ya wish...if you want to know that is."

Surprised at the blonde's sudden shift in mood, Ivan could only nod dumbly. "Ah, sure…but would you rather go somewhere else than this café? This seems like a private issue, so maybe we shouldn't be in such a crowded place." The least he could do was show Alfred some respect. Ivan hadn't felt a sliver of guilt in centuries, but there was something about wrongly using Alfred that made his gut pinch in a not so pleasant way. "There's the park about five to ten minutes from here. We can go there if you want to."

Alfred smiled a bit more sincerely as he nodded, "Yeah, sure. Thanks Ivan." With that, he shoved the last of his sandwich in his mouth before gulping down the rest of his drink. He ignored Ivan's slightly appalled look at his eating habits and threw away his trash. Putting his hands in his pockets he said, "Lead the way."

Ivan led Alfred out the café door, even doing the gentlemanly thing and holding the door open for him. Alfred merely scoffed and told Ivan not to treat him like a blushing maiden, to which Ivan replied that Alfred closely resembled one. After a bit of bickering about the little "insult", as Alfred liked to call it, they arrived outside the park. With fewer people around and lots of space to themselves, Ivan urged Alfred to tell him his story. "I'm ready to hear it now. Are you still willing to tell me?"

Alfred leaned back on the park bench and let out sigh through his nose, looking at the sky with matching blue eyes. "Yeah, I'm ready...hmmm where to begin? ...Okay, so I had a twin and his name was Matthew. I called him Mattie though, and I was the older twin by like five minute. We often argued about it." Alfred laughed lightly at the memory. "Well, about five years back Mattie started getting really sick, and the doctors diagnosed him with Leukemia...they told us up front that Mattie had little chance of surviving. We kept up hope though, and gave him all the medicine we could afford to help him get better, but he...died about two years ago..." Alfred took a deep calming breath to keep his eyes from watering. It still hurt to think about it. He and Mattie were as close as brothers could be, Mattie being the first person Alfred told when he started having the same funny feelings for boys as he did girls. They were fraternal twins even though they looked almost completely identical and Alfred had as much of a chance of having Leukemia as any other sibling and the same probability of having matching white cells he could have donated to Mattie. Unfortunately, Alfred didn't match the criteria, and so he watched his brother suffer for two years until he at last peacefully went away. Alfred continued, "By that time, I had been secretly dating my best friend. He helped a lot with helping me get over Mattie's death for the most part. I mean the pain will never go away, but I'm not grieving anymore. Anyways, so a year ago I decided that before I went off to college, I'd tell my parents about me and my boyfriend. They...they didn't take me liking guys as well as girls so well. Actually, they disowned me, but they weren't completely cruel. They still helped pay for my college. They want nothing else to do with me though...and to make it worse, a couple months after the fall out with my parents, I woke up one morning to find my boyfriend gone. We had been sharing a dorm room until that point. He had left a note saying he cared for me and all that shit, but that he couldn't take all this drama." Alfred let out a bitter laugh. He tried to give Ivan his best reassuring smile. "But that's all in the past! I'm more or less over it now..." This was where some of his abandonment issues sprung from; his brother suddenly dying and leaving him, his parents abandoning him once he told them he was bisexual, and then having his one anchor among all the drama and hurt abandon him as well.

Ivan, who had been listening to Alfred intently on the other side of the bench, could only look on somberly. Alfred, in all his beautiful youth, had already experienced a lifetime of pain. It was unfair, to say the least. Especially since it all seemed to happen in a short chain of events. He honestly had no idea what to say. Ivan never was that good with comforting others. He never saw the point to it, nor was he ever compassionate or caring enough to do so. So instead, all he could do was give a low, "I'm sorry Alfred". Letting the silence pass between them, Ivan tried to focus on something else other than the sinking feeling in his chest. As if it wasn't bad enough before, now he just felt like a piece of shit. He felt as though he needed to stand up from the bench and just leave Alfred alone for good. He'd already made a mistake by dabbling with the blonde in the first place. If only he had known…if only he had resisted temptation, maybe he could have avoided this situation all together. But he was here now, and by the soft tone of Alfred's voice, he could only make things worse if he left. Ivan tried to convince himself that a clean cut would be good. Alfred might feel a little hurt or rejected, but mortals easily got over their feelings, unlike immortals. Whenever you had all the time in the world to think about and reflect on things, you tended to stay on the subject much, much longer.

He couldn't bring himself to leave, though. Not now.

Alfred let out an awkward laugh, and shoved Ivan's arm a bit. "I'm fine now, really! Don't treat me any differently and pity me or something, 'cause if you do I'll pop a cap in your sorry ass. J-Just continue being your dick-ish and creepy self, you hear?" Even though his blue eyes still showed some feeling of melancholy in them, his smile was brightening again. Alfred bounced back quickly, that was one good thing about him. Besides, he'd only told Ivan his story to clear up a misunderstanding. He didn't want the Russian to feel bad for him.

Returning the smile a little, Ivan stood up from the bench. "Do you mind if we move somewhere else? This bench is out in the middle of the sun, and it's sort of….bothering me a little." Ivan hoped that didn't sound too strange. But it was true; the sun was beginning to affect him heavily. It was a bright day today and the park was a beacon for the sun to shine on. It was beginning to make Ivan feel a bit woozy. Looking over at the shade of some trees, Ivan inclined his head towards that direction. "Can we move over to the shade?"

Alfred blinked and nodded, "Sure, are you allergic to the sun like Arthur and Francis?" Alfred asked as he got up as well.

"Uh…allergic to the…sun?" Ivan asked with a skeptical expression. Seeing the almost serious look on Alfred's face, for the blonde could hardly ever be serious whenever he was being so goofy and nice, Ivan immediately sobered up. "Oh! Allergic to the sun. Da. Yes. I am, actually. It makes me very woozy and uncomfortable if I stay out in the sunlight for too long." Ivan tried to make his reply sound as smooth as possible. Mind finally catching up to the other part of Alfred's question, Ivan's expression darkened a little. "Did you say that your 'friends', Arthur and Francis, were also allergic to the sun?" Ivan raised a pale brow. Was it possible that Alfred was the target of multiple vampires? How could one person have so much bad luck?

Alfred laughed, not noticing Ivan's darkened expression as they made their way to the shaded tree. "Yeah, they are! Small world, huh? Though when I first heard about people who were allergic to the sun a few years back, I thought they just got rashes and burned real badly! Funny how I now have three friends who are all allergic-" Alfred was cut off as he accidentally bumped into a staggering man.

"God dammit, watch it!" The man cursed at Alfred, eyes blood shot and the smell of alcohol waiving off him heavily. Alfred held his hands up in defense and gave sheepish grin.

"S-Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Alfred apologized and was about to walk away with Ivan when he heard the drunk continue talking to him and froze at his words.

"Of course you're a fucking American." The man scoffed, rolling his dark brown and irritated eyes. "You Americans think you can walk around like you own the place. You're fucking arrogance and loud mouths make me want to puke." The man spat at Alfred.

Alfred turned around with a wary sigh, not really in the mood to deal with this guy. "Listen, I said I was sorr-" He was interrupted by the man snapping at him.

"Shut up! You don't know how lucky you are to be able to live off junk and be ignorant of world, eating fast food like the fat asses you are. Never bothering to see how the rest of the world suffers." The man ranted, not really making logical sense as to how this had anything to with Alfred bumping into him. Alfred took a deep breath and reminded himself that this guy was just drunk and probably upset with the world, and he was just venting at Alfred because he was a close target. But this didn't make his accusations any less hurtful, especially the part about being a fat ass. Alfred had been trying to watch his weight lately, and it was a bit of a sore subject. Feigning a smile, Alfred turned to leave again, "L-Let's go Ivan..."

Glaring sharp daggers at the drunken Frenchman, Ivan turned around with Alfred, but froze in spot as the drunkard continued. "Yeah, just fucking walk away like the piece of shit American you art. Probably going to go feed his fatass somewhere anyway." Alfred froze, staring down at his stomach. Ivan noticed this, watching as the blonde patted his front self-consciously, a frown painfully obvious in his eyes. Even though Alfred looked to be in perfect physical shape, he seemed to be very sensitive about the subject. Ivan growled low in his throat, turning around and sending the drunkard a feral smile. The man instantly froze up, his instincts alerting him that Ivan was dangerous. It was a natural instinct all prey possessed, and the fear didn't go unnoticed by Ivan.

"If you know what is good for you," Ivan spoke, his voice gravelly and deep with the underlying threat. "You will turn around right now and walk away." There was an unspoken line at the end, but the message was clear in the Frenchman's eyes. Or I will kill you. The man hesitated a little, his face frozen in a mask of fear and shock before turning around abruptly and taking off in a drunken stagger. Ivan stared hard into his back until he had disappeared from sight. He'd be paying that man a visit later on tonight… Turning back to Alfred, Ivan placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling happily. "Now…where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"

Alfred blinked up at Ivan in shock, not having expected the Russian to stick up for him. After the initial shock wore off, his lips twitched with an appreciative smile and he pulled Ivan into a quick one armed hug. "Thanks Ivan. You're a pretty good guy...for a creeper, that is." His smile turned more teasing at the end of his statement. He watched Ivan roll his violet eyes as they made their way to the shaded spot they were heading to before the drunk guy incident.

"You keep calling me that. A creeper. It's such a strange term." Ivan was familiar with a ton of different slang, but some of it was harder to get used to than others. English slang was particularly confusing. Ivan was still curious about Francis and Arthur, but he could investigate that later. He would eventually meet them face to face anyway. Smiling, Ivan asked out of the blue. "What is your favorite food?" It was strange and random, but he wanted to get to know Alfred on a deeper level. Of course, the blonde's blood still played a major factor in all of his effort, but there was nothing wrong with getting to know the gracious donor of his past two meals.

As they sat down on the grass, Alfred commented, "Oh, well I call you a creeper 'cause you act like some creepy stalker sometimes...like when we first met!" A bit taken a back at Ivan's random question, Alfred scratched his chin as he answered. "Well, I really like burgers and ice cream! Especially vanilla ice cream!" Alfred smiled brightly at the thought of ice cream. He then turned curious blue eyes onto Ivan. "What about you?"

Ivan should have known that Alfred would redirect the question back to him. He racked his mind for a suitable response. "I really like Borscht. And wine, especially wine." He sent Alfred a snow white smile. "I recently found a very delicious brand of wine. You wouldn't believe how sweet it tastes." Ivan beamed at his own joke, a little disappointed that Alfred didn't understand. But perhaps that was a good thing. "Aside from food, what is your favorite type of flower?" Maybe he could surprise the blonde one day with a bouquet. It'd be worth it to see how Alfred would react. He was so adorable whenever he sputtered and blushed.

Alfred looked up in thought. "I'd guess I'd have to say roses. Since every color has its own meaning, you can say a lot with roses! Besides, roses have been used for symbolism in lot of novels!" They were also the national flower of the good U.S. of A! Alfred blushed lightly at the fact that they were one of the most romantic of flowers as well. Alfred once again asked in return. "What about you big guy?" He honestly didn't expect Ivan to be into flowers too much, but everyone had a preference right?

"Sunflowers." Ivan answered simply. "They're so tall and bright and happy looking. Whenever I was a child, I always dreamed of living in a place filled with sunflowers. But because of the climate type in Russia, it seemed almost impossible. One day, during a visit to America, I found what I was looking for." Ivan leaned his head on his hand, his eyes gazing at something far off. "I believe it was in Kansas, during the 18-" Ivan's stopped immediately, catching himself before it was too late. He'd almost told Alfred that he'd visited Kansas in the 1800s, for god's sake! "-during my time as an eighteen year old."

Oh, dear god...that was the single cutest, sweetest thing Ivan has ever said. It almost made him sound like he was one of those lonely, misunderstood main characters Alfred's read about in many books. Alfred smiled up sincerely and brightly at Ivan. "Wow, that's a beautiful dream Ivan! Though...how old are you anyways? You seem pretty young still..." That's something that's been bugging Alfred. Ivan couldn't be over his mid-twenties, yet he talked like an old man reminiscing about the past at times.

Literally? About 1300 years old sounded right. Physically? Ivan had been turned whenever he was 23. He had been in the field, farming some wheat whenever she had shown up and took him away. Ivan barely suppressed a shiver. "I'm 23 years old. I'm not that old." Ivan laughed a little, his laughter almost trailing on the edge of nervousness. "What about you, Alfred? Since you are taking classes, I'm assuming you're not older than me, da?" Ivan had lived out the current span of Alfred's life dozens of times over. But appearances had to be kept up and all that other fancy jazz, so Ivan would have to play along. It's not like Alfred should know that he was an ancient, blood thirsty, slightly sadistic vampire that lusted after him in more ways than one.

Alfred laughed as well, not noticing the nervous edge in Ivan's. "I'm 19 baby! Two more years and I and can buy my own booze! ...In the states, at least." One good thing about Europe was in most countries, Alfred was able to drink three years ago. Alfred's smile took on a mischievous twist as he cackled, "Though, compared to me, you're like an old man! What's the age difference, like 4 years?"

Ivan frowned. "Da, but that's not much. I like to believe that I look young and handsome…" Ivan's body may have not aged, but it was true that everything else about him was old. Maybe he reflected his age through the way he carried himself… Did Alfred really find him that dull? "You're calling me unattractive, aren't you?" Ivan pouted.

Alfred waved off his question and playfully punched his shoulder. "Don't pout, big guy, I'm just yanking your chain." When Ivan raised his eyebrow in confusion, Alfred blinked. Did Ivan seriously not understand what that meant? Then again, he wasn't from America, so it probably wasn't a term he was familiar with..."That means I was just teasing you dude." Alfred just shook his head in amusement when Ivan's violet eyes lit up in understanding. "Soooo, Ivan….what do you do? Do you have a job, or are studying in France too?" Alfred asked curiously. It was his turn to play twenty questions.

Ivan's façade didn't falter. "I am actually just a curious traveler, to be honest. I…saved up quite a bit of money in my youth. I had to work very hard to accumulate what I have. I've been using those funds to travel all around the world. It's something that I've always wanted to do. Paris is just one of the many stops on the list." Okay, so not all of it was a lie. Ivan did enjoy traveling around and studying different locations. "I'm really interested in Sociology. It's interesting to see how different people think and react to things. It's also fun to partake in all the different cultures around the world. Sometimes it's not all about people being different. Sometimes people are more alike than you actually think."

Alfred blinked a bit, astonished. "So you're like rich or something? Awesome! Though, you know you say 'in your youth' like you're not only in your twenties!" Alfred then noticed the sun was beginning to set. "Wow, look it's sunset! Time sure does fly, huh?" And Alfred still had to meet Arthur and Francis for dinner. Earlier that day they'd texted him saying that they wanted all three of them to eat tonight and hang out. And they hadn't done that in a few days, not since Ivan came round around three days ago.

"I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time." Ivan said with an apologetic smile. "I suppose I should let you go. Thank you for talking with me today, Alfred." He stood up from their spot underneath the tree and dusted himself off. "I…can we do this again sometime soon?" Did Alfred like him enough to do so? Ivan inwardly frowned. Everything was so much easier whenever you could use magic to get your way. But a puppet, foggy eyed Alfred wasn't as enjoyable as a lively, happy, and animated Alfred.

Well, he was still a creeper and jerk at times...but he was good guy deep down, Alfred could tell. Getting up and stretching himself, he answered the Russian with a bright grin. "I don't see why not. We're friends now right?"

"Friends…da, I guess we are." Ivan said as he began walking away. In a quiet voice, he spoke to himself. "I like that." He didn't turn to see if Alfred was watching him walk away, but he could tell that the blonde was. He could feel those pretty blue eyes boring into his back.


	5. Taken By Surprise

"About time, you bloody yank. Get in here." Arthur greeted Alfred grumpily at the door, stepping aside and motioning for the American to step in. The room was full with the smells of Francis's cooking and bothered Arthur's nose a little. It may have smelled appetizing to humans, but after centuries of dining on blood, it smelled strange to him. He honestly had no clue why Francis, an immortal hadn't eaten a single piece of human food in centuries, would become so involved in the culinary arts.

Alfred snorted at Arthur's grumpy greeting and let himself into his friend's apartment. The apartment was spacious, but not ridiculously big. It was tastefully decorated to create a homey look, yet elegant. It was a perfect balance between both of its inhabitant's styles and personalities. Alfred's stomach growled at the smell of Francis's cooking. Laughing a bit sheepishly, he returned Arthur's greeting with a tight embrace. "Aw, don't be grumpy Artie! You didn't tell me when to get here, only to come for dinner and I was busy." He released Arthur, the shorter blonde gasping for air after the too tight hug and shutting the door as they made their way into the living/dining room. "Smells good in there Francis!" Alfred called. He couldn't see Francis from the table where him and Arthur were seated at.

A second later, Francis poked his head out from around the bar area that separated the kitchen from the combined living and dining room. "Ah, but of course it does Alfred! Though I thank you, considering you appreciate my culinary mastery much more than the sour puss beside you~." Francis winked as he both thanked Alfred for the compliment and poked fun at his lover. Before Francis had been bitten a few centuries ago, he had been a renowned chef in France. Since he turned into a vampire, his taste buds had changed and now human food tasted funny to him. He still knew how to differentiate between what tasted funny to him, but was good to humans and what tasted bad to both species. Now he cooked more out hobby then anything. He often gave wonderful food to less fortunate people before meeting Alfred. Now he cooked meals mainly for the young college boy, since Alfred's eating habits were atrocious and it would financially help his friend.

"Shut your trap, frog. And hurry and finish cooking before Alfred goes diving in the cabinets." Arthur had his arms crossed at the table, his eyes narrowed in though. Alfred's neck was uncovered unlike before and fresh bruises and bites blossomed across his tan skin. It was a clear sign in the vampire world and it often screamed 'mine'. He wondered what the public thought of the bites. Alfred probably looked like the victim of an atrocious round of S&M. Arthur decided he would try the obvious approach. "What happened to your neck, lad? Looks like something chomped you pretty good."

Alfred's face flushed at the questioned. "U-Uh…I plead the fifth!" He retorted, even if he knew that a) they were in France so that wouldn't work here and b) That Arthur would pester him about it until Alfred told him regardless.

"Alfred…" Arthur said, his voice a chastising tone. He was about to pester the blonde for more information whenever Francis emerged from the kitchen with a platter. Sighing, Arthur sank back down into his chair. He'd have to wait until after dinner to question Alfred. Lord knows the feisty American wouldn't stop eating long enough to even give Arthur a proper response.

Francis sat a plate in front of himself and Alfred. "Bon appétit~" He purred. Francis could stomach human food better than Arthur could. Besides, all he need was to take a few bites every now and then of his own food so as to give Alfred the allusion that he was eating. Alfred on the other hand gave a Francis a quick "Thanks!" and tore into his food.

After a few minutes of shoveling food into his mouth, Arthur and Francis staring in slight horror despite being used to it by now, Alfred asked around the food in his mouth. "Ishn't Arfur 'avin any?" Francis shook his head and answered Alfred's barely coherent question. "Non, I'm afraid he hasn't had much of an appetite today and already had some of his...horrible scones earlier." The French man just laughed as he dodged the punch aimed at his face. Soon Alfred was finished and Francis took their plates away to wash, thus leaving Alfred to squirm under Arthur's scrutinizing look, like he was interrogating or something.

"As I was saying before, Alfred…" Arthur said his name the same way a parent would address their child whenever trying to reprimand them. "Why don't you just tell me where those horrible looking bite marks came from? I'm assuming that a spider didn't manage to bite the other side of your neck, right?" The bruises on the newer bite were less gruesome. The skin was less marred, as if whoever decided to bite Alfred had done it gently. Arthur had a few of those 'bites' on him as well, but they were mostly from Francis. "And don't you even try to weasel your way out of this. You're not leaving until I get the truth, got it?" Deciding that sounded a bit too overboard, Arthur added a little softer. "I'm just worried about you, you dummy."

Alfred let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I still think the first one was a spider bite, but the second one...ehehe... You know that creepy guy I told you about yesterday?" Alfred asked and then continued as Arthur gave him a nod. "Well, he was at the café again that day. We talked a bit about literature, and he even knew what I was talking about Artie! And well, we parted ways and I went back to my dorm. Later that night he somehow sunk into my room...one thing led to another and we had a hot make out session, with some grinding thrown in I think...I don't quite remember." Alfred admitted sheepishly. Really, he didn't want to tell his brother figure about how he made out with someone who tried to molest him the first time they met.

That sounded about right. Arthur wasn't surprised, and if he was, he didn't let it show. "You should really be more careful, Alfred. If I were you, I'd cut ties with whoever this stalker is and leave them behind. Especially if they have the audacity to sneak into your home and do that." Arthur motioned to Alfred's neck. "Also, if you don't mind me asking, what did this guy look like?" Alfred sent Arthur a patronizing glare, and the Brit found himself tacking on quickly. "I promise I won't do anything since you've told me the truth. I just want to know for documentation reasons." He wanted to know so he could verify whether or not the vampire he and Francis had ran into that night was the person Alfred was talking about.

"Hey, I'm being careful! And he's really not that bad of a guy... I just don't think he quite grasps the whole boundary thing at times. Besides, I plan on being friends with him!" Alfred huffed, a bit annoyed at how protective Arthur was being. It was his life and he could make out with or befriend whomever he wanted! But he did at the same time appreciate the fact that Arthur cared. "Don't worry about me Artie, I can defend myself if he does turn out to be just some creeper!"

Grimacing, Arthur kept his thoughts to himself. If only Alfred knew what he was dealing with…he would definitely think otherwise. Alfred hadn't answered his question about what the vampire looked like, so he assumed his identity would remain anonymous for now. If what Alfred was saying was true, maybe this vampire didn't hold any hostile feelings for him. Especially if he's actually taking time out to speak with Alfred. The situation was a little bizarre, especially since vampires often kept to themselves and didn't form relationships with humans. Even the little friendship between the three of them was a tad strange. However, it might just all be a little game the vampire was playing and Alfred was walking right into his clutches. Arthur decided to let the conversation drop there, not wanting to push Alfred to the point of making him angry. Eventually they would find out what this mystery vampire's identity was. "Fine, Alfred. Whatever. Just…if you ever think you're seriously in danger, please come find Francis and I. I know you're strong, but a little help never hurt and it would make us feel a lot better about the situation." Arthur could hear the sink running in the kitchen and Francis humming some old French tune. Apparently, dinner was over.

Alfred smiled and clapped his hand on Arthur's back, causing the Brit to lurch forward a bit as the wheat blonde smiled. "Thanks Artie! You and Francis would make great back up! Well, I best be heading back to my dorm. See ya Francis!" He called to the Frenchman in the kitchen, receiving a muffled farewell. Getting up, Alfred made his way to the door and out into the cool night.

A few seconds later, Francis made his way into the dining room, walking behind the stressed out Englishman. "What do you make of this info my dear?" He asked as he soothingly rubbed the tension out of his lover's shoulders. Francis himself was a bit weary, but it seemed a possible romance was budding. The Frenchman though wanted to meet this mysterious stranger and judge his intentions before he formed any opinion on the matter.

"I'm not sure…" Arthur stated with an annoyed sigh. The hands working the tension out o his shoulders were pleasing. "From the sounds of it, Alfred doesn't seem like he's in too much danger. But there is still danger there. This vampire is terribly confusing with his behavior. I can't tell what he's planning to do with Alfred. I can only hope it's good, because if not…we'll have to step in and do something." By 'do something', he meant fighting and that meant risking each other. As annoying as Francis was at times, Arthur still grudgingly loved him back and didn't want to risk the other's life in a fight. Or his own, for that matter. "Do you think he will be okay tonight?"

Francis leaned down and placed a kiss to Arthur's wild, lemon drop colored hair. "Hmm, I get the feeling this particular vampire feels at least an attraction to Alfred, for reasons other than his blood. I doubt they would kill Alfred off this early, even if it was just a game...so long as we keep an eye on them both and keep Alfred in the dark I'm sure they will move on once they are bored." Most vampires either pitied humans or saw them as something akin to cattle. Francis and Arthur fell into the former category and more often than not and left their victims alive, erasing their memories and letting them make sense of what happened that night for themselves.

Arthur nodded, facial expression still conveying the tension in his bones. 'But what if he becomes bored and kills Alfred afterwards?' He left the question unspoken for the moment. Right now, all he could do was hope that Francis was right in his prediction.

-x-

It was dark again, just like Alfred's last dream. And he once again couldn't move, not even when the flash of violet filled his vision. This time though, the violet stayed in his vision. There was then the sensation of someone slowly caressing his body from his neck to his thighs. Alfred felt his body move and shiver, but not by his own accord. As the invisible hands continued to dance across his skin, he saw a gleam of sharp teeth under the violet orbs. Soft feathery kisses were littered all along his neck, causing Alfred to sigh and giggle. Then the biting sensation was back, only this time less painful as he felt the previous fangs sink into his neck. The mouth attached to his neck beginning to suckle, and as pleasurable as this sensation was there was an underlining feeling of fear in Alfred. Something inside of him was telling him that this was dangerous, that even if it felt right it was wrong. Just like in his last dream sequence, the mouth and teeth drew back from his neck, and that warm liquid dribbled down his neck. Once again before he could lift his hand to see what this mysterious liquid was, he woke. Eyes shooting open suddenly, Alfred felt some cold sweat fall from his forehead and trail down his face. Letting out a sigh of relief, the sunshine blonde relaxed when he realized it was just a dream. Turning over to his side, he pulled the covers closer around him and attempted to drift off to sleep again.

-x-

Ivan had decided not to invade his room again tonight. Instead, he found himself perched high up in a tree next to his dorm's window. It was on the second floor and gave him a decent view of Alfred sleeping. Tonight, he wasn't thirsty. Tonight, he just wanted to look at Alfred. He knew it was creepy and he was acting like a major stalker, but it didn't matter to him. There was something oddly fascinating about the blonde that he loved. That cheery smile, those sky blue eyes, that beautiful sunshine colored hair…how could any mortal ever be blessed with such enchanting qualities?

A vampire's unearthly beauty came from exactly that: their vampirism. Ivan hadn't been bad looking as a mortal, but nowhere near how he looked now. Any blemishes, any physical imperfections were immediately corrected upon turning. That small dark spot on your skin, any uneven color blotches in your hair, it was all perfected once that magic set in. Ivan's hair had been a fair shade of blonde before his turning, but now his hair was so platinum, it was almost white. His eyes had been a deep blue as a human, but they were now a clear, beautiful shade of violet. Now, his teeth were all perfect, straight and snowy white despite his time not having the dental hygiene that people had now.

So that brought him to his next thought. If Alfred was this beautiful now, lord only knows how stunning and breathtaking he'd be as an immortal. Alfred could have anyone turned into a submissive pile of mush in his arms just by flashing a smile at them. The thought scared him a little. What if their situations had been reversed? Ivan was sure he'd be about six feet under now. He'd submit himself to Alfred in a heartbeat.

Ivan shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about stuff like that. Alfred was a human, and he was going to remain a human. Humans were soft and warm. Humans were full of life and decent to be around, if you were around the right people. Immortals didn't make good company. Ivan had learned that a long time ago, whenever he had 'rebelled' against her. He shivered, body going colder than usual at the memory. He wondered if 'she' was stilling looking for him. He considered himself lucking for being able to go this long without encountering her yet. He actually hadn't seen her since that day, but he also doubted that she'd let his actions go unpunished. Sooner or later…shit would hit the fan club and Ivan would be forced with the decision to submit and be a slave or fight back. What scared him the most was that he wasn't exactly sure which option he favored more.

With a weary sigh, Ivan decided that he shouldn't waste his time sitting here and watching Alfred. It made him feel like the creep that Alfred believed him to be and it wasn't exactly helping his case with that issue. Hopping down from the tree and landing with a barely audible sound, he stalked off somewhere else to try and occupy himself until sunrise.

-x-

The next day was Wednesday, and Alfred didn't have classes. This meant he could sleep in until 10:00 AM, take a shower, get dressed, and get to the cafe ten minutes before 11:00 AM to help set up the cafe before it opened. Today however, as he made his way to the cafe he noticed the small flower shop he always passed by on his way to work. Now normally the shop itself wouldn't have caught his attention, but what really drew is gaze was the blur of yellow he saw from the corner of his eyes as he passed it. Taking a few steps backwards, Alfred looked at the bundle of sunflowers in the shops window. He then remembered the conversation Alfred had yesterday with Ivan, and how serene and happy Ivan looked talking about sunflowers. Alfred walked into the shop and asked the elderly lady working at the cash register. "Can I have six sunflowers and six pink roses?" The elderly lady nodded with a small smile and went to get Alfred's order. It only took a couple minutes for the woman to arrange the flowers and wrap them in bouquet. "Your total is 19.32 euro." Alfred winced at the price. That was about 24 US dollars, but he paid the woman and thanked her for her help. Leaving the cute little shop, Alfred made his way back to work.

Alfred had placed the bouquet in his work locker. It was inside a glass cup of water he borrowed to keep them from wilting. His boss and the chef both teased him by asking if it was for their new regular, even though all Ivan did was order water and flirt with Alfred whenever the blonde showed up. Alfred got flustered and just told them to shut up as he finished wiping down the tables. The two had chuckled and left the blonde alone on the subject. It annoyed Alfred, but he couldn't help but think of the ashen blonde man the whole time he worked, even glancing up in hope whenever the bell to the cafe door rang. Unfortunately, Alfred felt a bit of disappointment whenever he saw it wasn't Ivan. Alfred didn't even know why he was so anxious to see the violet eyed Russian, and he kept telling himself he only got the flowers as a thank you present for Ivan defending him yesterday and listening to his back story.

It was a little after three when Ivan finally made his appearance. He helped himself to his usual seat, his eyes locking immediately with Alfred's. Alfred came over with his normal grin, "So, you've become a regular now, huh?"

"I suppose I have. I have been coming here for the past 3 days." Ivan had his usual quaint smile on his face. He noticed that Alfred looked a bit fidgety in his own skin. "You seem a little nervous, Alfred. What is it?"

Alfred blinked and quit fidgeting. Putting on his most convincing smile, he said. "O-Oh, um nothing! Sorry, but you'll have to wait until after I'm done working if ya wanna hang out and talk. I get off in about three hours. So I take it you'll like some water like usual?"

"Mmhmm." Ivan hummed, watching as Alfred disappeared to fetch his water. His eyes trailed to the blonde's hips. They had a slight sway to them as he walked, an unconscious attribute of Alfred, it seemed. The blonde probably didn't realize how many heads he turned while walking past all the patrons. His bottom was also nicely shaped. It was plush, but not fat and rounded perfectly. It filled out his clothing in a way that held a lot of sexual appeal. Ivan involuntarily ran his tongue over his lips, completely lost in Alfred's body. It was kind of silly, considering they were in a public setting and Alfred's clothes were still on. Why, why hadn't he paid more attention to his body that night?

Alfred was back with Ivan's glass of water in no time. He placed it down on Ivan's table with a small clink of the glass. Ivan reached for the glass and went to grab it. His hand momentarily brushed against Alfred's and he marveled at how warm the blonde's hand was. Realizing the awkward gesture, he managed to speak out a quick apology.

Alfred felt a very light blush grace his cheeks at the accidental brush of their hands. At Ivan's apology he smiled at the Russian and drew his hand back. "No problem dude." He waved off the incident and went to go serve some other customers. As he worked, he would occasionally glance to where Ivan was. The Russian would either be staring out the window, at any customer whom particularly amused him at the moment, or a couple times he caught Ivan staring at him. The Russian would smile at him and wave, causing the American to blush a bit, but roll his eyes and wave back. He never noticed exactly where the Russian's gaze was. If he would have noticed how Ivan was checking him out then the Russian would have had to deal with one very flustered and annoyed Alfred.

Before either of them knew it, three hours had passed and Alfred was changing from his work clothes. When he was finished putting on his t-shirt, jeans and light jacket, he stared at the bouquet he had gotten Ivan. Was this too strange, or sudden? Probably. Most friends didn't get each other presents like these, especially guys. He really wanted to see Ivan smile happily at the sunflowers though...Taking a deep breath, he put on his best confident grin to get rid of his nervousness, took the bouquet, and exited the locker/changing room. He made his way through the cafe, calling his good byes to his boss and the chef. He saw Ivan leaning his back against the glass window outside the café. Alfred guessed the boss had kicked him out while they closed up. Taking another reassuring breath, he pushed the front door open, and walked towards the platinum blonde male. Violet eyes which had previously been shut as he waited for the younger blonde opened and looked at Alfred as he approached. "Thanks for waiting big guy! U-Um these are for you...a-as a thank you for sticking up for me yesterday and listening to my sob story an' stuff. P-Pink roses mean appreciation and thank you in the language of flowers, and you said you liked sunflowers, soooo...yeah." Alfred babbled, holding the bouquet up to the Russian. His cheeks turned a nice rosy color from the blush he was sporting. He had a bashful grin on his face and his blue eyes peered up nervously at Ivan over his glasses.

Ivan was legitimately shocked. Alfred had gotten these for him? Sunflowers? He had actually humored Ivan's silly little story from yesterday. Along with that, he'd been careful to pick out the flowers, too. That showed through his explanation of the pink roses. Taking the bouquet from Alfred, he held it gingerly against him, a grateful smile spreading across his face. "Thank you so much, Alfred. I…I've never had anyone do this for me." It was true, too. He'd seen it happen between couples and family members over the centuries, but not once had Ivan ever been given flowers before. "This is really sweet of you. I really don't know how to express how thankful I am." Ivan was at a loss for words. He couldn't think of anything to say to Alfred to show him how much he really liked the flowers. He stroked the petal of one of the sunflowers and then switched to a pink rose and repeated the same notion. They really were beautiful and aromatic, and almost romantic to be honest. Ivan felt his chest tighten a bit. It wasn't a bad feeling, more like a bittersweet one. It was strange and pleasant and confusing all at the same time. He lowered his violet eyes, a smile still plastered to his face. What should he say?

Alfred felt his heart flutter at the small, truly happy and appreciative smile Ivan had on his face. Alfred decided then and there that out of all the smiles he'd seen Ivan have - his polite one, confident one, creepy, dark one, teasing one, seductive one, and amused one - that one he was wearing right now was his favorite, because it was a real one. Alfred could tell he hadn't had one of those smiles in a long while. Giving Ivan a relieved and over joyed smile of his own, he laughed and scratched his head. "You don't have to thank me dude, I mean these were to thank you. And if we keep thanking each other, it'll be a never ending circle! I'm glad you like them though..." He had been nervous Ivan would find him odd or reject them, considering this isn't how normal friends thanked each other.

"Of course I liked them." Ivan said matter-of-factly. "I suppose it wouldn't be too much to ask for another walk today, would it?" Ivan wasn't sure why he'd returned to the café again. He didn't exactly have a plan whenever he came here. He was just sort of drawn to the place, most likely because he knew Alfred would be there. Before, it was just blatant bloodlust and lust in general, but now…what was it now? If they could, his cheeks would be glowing with a warm blush now.

Alfred shrugged, still smiling up at the Russian. "Sure, I have time! Though I have to work on some assignments later, essays and stuff. You could chill in my dorm though, if ya wanted to." He immediately regretted suggesting the last part, his face heating up when he remembered what they did the last and first time Ivan had been in his dorm. Too flustered from the memory to pay attention to what he was doing, Alfred quickly grabbed Ivan's hand (the one not cradling the flowers) and began tugging him along in a random direction. Laughing nervously he said, "Eh heh heh, l-lets go on that walk."

Fairly surprised at being invited back to Alfred's dorm and at the blonde grabbing his hand, Ivan merely blinked. "A-Ah…okay. I could actually help you with your assignments, if you like. It would be better than me just sitting and watching you." Not that he wouldn't mind, but it wouldn't do much to ease Alfred's apparent nervousness.

They walked around the city for a bit, just talking about their day and what they had done after they went home the night before. Ivan had made up a little lie, saying that he was so tired after the park and the walk that he went straight home to read and then sleep. Alfred had laughed at him, asking him whether or not he had anything better to do in his free time. Ivan merely brushed him off with a small laugh. The sun was as annoying as ever to Ivan, so he chose to stick in the shade whenever possible, using his "sun allergy" to his advantage. By the end of their time together, the bright rays had definitely taken their toll on him, making him feel tired and sluggish. Alfred had gazed over at him asking if he was alright. He merely nodded his head, his eyes drooping a bit and his posture slightly slumped.

Alfred looked at Ivan in concern. "Ivan, really, if the sun is bothering you that much we can go back to my dorm...I have to start on a paper anyway." Alfred frowned. Ivan looked ready to pass out. In case he did, Alfred wrapped an arm around Ivan's waist and slung his pale arm over his shoulder.

Head lolling slightly, he managed to nod weakly. "That would be good." His accent was heavier than usual. He'd spent a long time out in the sun today walking around. Usually, he'd take breaks and spend some time in the shade to let himself cool down. But no….he'd do anything to be able to continue walking and talking with Alfred. Look where that stupid, hard-headed devotion got him. Despite Alfred's mortality, he was quite strong and was able to help Ivan walk all the way back his dorm. It was quite a bit away and the streets were already crowded with vehicles since it was rush hour, so a taxi was out of the question. By the time Alfred had gotten him inside the building, up the stairs, and to his dorm, Ivan was about ready to collapse. Alfred bumped open his door with his hip after unlocking it, helping Ivan stumble in. The tall Russian all but collapsed on the blonde's bed, the coolness of the sheets and the shade of the room a wonderful relief from his burning body. "Can I…just lie here for a bit?" Ivan mumbled out weakly.

Despite his concern for his friend, Alfred couldn't help but feel amused at the man on his bed. Ivan was usually so cool and collected, even if he showed mild discomfort when out in the sun, but now he was lying on his bed like he just ran a marathon. Giving a light laugh he reached over the collapsed Russian and tousled his ash blonde locks a bit. Alfred then answered Ivan's question, "Sure can dude. When you're feeling better you can even help me with my essay, like you suggested earlier! Oh, but would you like anything to drink? You look pretty tired. Seriously Ivan, tell me next time when you're getting uncomfortable. I don't mind sitting in the shade!" He had plopped down next to Ivan on the side of the bed as he lightly scolded him, not noticing how he was still running his fingers through Ivan's soft hair.

"Mmmm." Ivan hummed in response, most of his attention occupied by the fingers playing with his hair. "I'm not…thirsty. I'm just tired." It wasn't a sleepy type of tired, it was a I'm-so-godamn-worn-out-and-can't-move type of tired. It would eventually go away as he cooled down though. There wasn't much that could keep a vampire down for long. The sun, major blood loss, and thirst were pretty much the only things that could. "I'll help you with your essay in a couple of minutes. Shoo." Ivan waved Alfred off towards his computer. As much as he'd like for the blonde to sit here and pet him, he knew that the other had a lot of work to do.

Alfred blushed a bit when he realized he was playing with the Russian's hair. To hide his embarrassment, he laughed as he got up and headed toward the desk on the opposite wall of the bed. "Fine, fine. I'm getting to work!" he exclaimed as he settled in front of the laptop that was resting on the desk. When working, he preferred to be at a desk. It helped him concentrate better. As he began working, his mind drifted a bit.

It truly shocked him how quickly he warmed up to Ivan. Alfred has always been friendly, but even after the alleyway stunt Ivan pulled, he couldn't help but want to be around the strange man. At first it was like this weird magnetism that drew him towards the other, but now Alfred just enjoyed the other's presence. It was sort of a pleasant feeling, but at the same time it sent warning bells off in back of Alfred's mind. Though Alfred usually ignored the bells in the past, why would he listen to them now?

For a while, Ivan just listened to the pitter patter of Alfred's fingers on the keyboard. He slowly began to cool down, his skin going from burning hot to icy cold. The exhaustion caused by the sun slowly eased away into a nice comfortableness as he lay on Alfred's bed. That's right…he was lying on Alfred's bed, and in a friendly, totally consenting manner. No forced magic, no forced touches, no blood drinking, just two friends enjoying the silence together without a hint of awkwardness. It was sort of surreal feeling, like maybe it was all just a nice dream to Ivan. Alfred was the first person that made Ivan feel so comfortable and relaxed. He'd had acquaintances and "old friends", but none compared to the little spark of friendship between he and Alfred. What made things even more mind boggling was how they became friends in such a short time. Technically, Ivan shouldn't even feel as strong as he did about Alfred. He supposed that whenever you had as much time to think about things as he did that his strange feelings made a little sense. Alfred still probably thought he was just some random stranger who was trying to wiggle his way into his life. At least he was nice enough not to outright reject Ivan. Hell, at least he was willing to extend his friendship to Ivan, even after the risky and brash event Ivan pulled on him in the alleyway. That definitely made Ivan's top five most sloppy introductions ever. If Alfred knew the real truth though, Ivan was sure he'd retract that friendship in an instant. His chest squeezed uncomfortably, guilt seizing him up instantly. As delicious as Alfred's blood was, Ivan had the nagging feeling that maybe he shouldn't be drinking from Alfred anytime soon.

Before Ivan had realized it, almost an hour had passed. All he had done was lie on Alfred's bed and lose himself in his thoughts. The sun was going down now and almost completely disappeared below the horizon. Alfred's room would have been bathed in darkness, but the blonde must have flicked on his desk lamp before it got too dark. Rising up from the bed, Ivan walked over to where Alfred was sitting. Well, it was more like he was half sitting with his head resting comfortably on top of his keyboard. The document he had opened at the moment was nothing but a blank page, his head having pressed down the space bar for an ungodly amount of time. Sliding the keyboard from out under Alfred's head, Ivan backspaced until he came to the point where Alfred left off. Making sure to save the document for him, he sat the keyboard down on the other side of the desk and tapped Alfred's shoulder. "Alfred…? Alfred? Maybe you should go to bed now."

It hadn't been long since Alfred fell asleep on his keyboard, only about five minutes. Alfred mumbled out in a barely audible voice to most humans. Luckily Ivan had inhuman hearing. "Nooo, I'm papering." Yes, in his half-conscious state made paper a verb. He didn't struggle though when he felt a pair of arms scoop him up bridal style. If anything, he snuggled into the Russian's chest, being a cuddlier in his sleep...and just in general. He blinked sleep fogged blue eyes and peered up at the amused Russian. As the Russian placed Alfred on his bed, he once again mumbled. "Ivan?" The pale man's violet eyes met Alfred's blue hues and gave the sleepy American a hum of acknowledgment as he took off Alfred's glasses and set them on his night stand. Eyes drooping back down Alfred yawned, his own mind barely acknowledging his next question. "Wanna go on a date? 'M free Sunday..." His eyes drifted close before he saw how the large man stiffen in shock.

Alfred's question had completely taken Ivan off guard. Before he could even formulate an answer, Alfred was already asleep and snoring lightly. Ivan sighed, having missed his chance to answer Alfred's question. He contemplated waking the other up and seeing whether or not he meant the question, but decided that Alfred had done a lot of work today and deserved to be left alone. Ivan also contemplated whether or not he was welcome to stay or if he should leave. Deciding that he would be imposing too much if he stayed, he gently brushed Alfred's hair out of his face and backed out of the room. As soon as he was in the dark hallway, he disappeared without a trace of ever having been there.


	6. It's Quality, Not Quantity

The next morning, Alfred woke up feeling refreshed. He glanced at his alarm clock and realized he'd fallen asleep before he could set it. Now he was late for class, fuck. He got up and stretched before rushing through his morning routine, deciding he'd skip out on breakfast he rushed to get to his class.

Alfred cursed has he left his final class for the week. He had gotten chewed out by the professor in his first class for being tardy. Luckily though he had gotten away with a metaphorical slap on the wrist, and he promised to make sure to set his alarm next time. He made his way to the café and once he got there, he got his lunch from the chef and sat down at a random table. As a familiar presence once again loomed behind him, the American smiled as he said, "You won't sneak up on me, intentional or not, and scare the crap outta me this time big guy!" He looked over his shoulder and gave the Russian a smug smile. He'd noticed that once he let his guard down, Ivan always seemed to show up out of nowhere and scare the bejeezus out of him. So this time he figured he'd expect the unexpected!

"You caught me." Ivan said coyly. If he truly wanted to take Alfred by surprise, it wouldn't be too hard. But he wasn't sure that the surrounding crowd of people would appreciate his display of supernatural powers. Taking his usual seat opposite of Alfred, Ivan folded his hands on top of each other on the table. "How did you sleep last night? You almost fell asleep at your keyboard, so I moved you to your bed. I hope you didn't mind."

Alfred nodded and grinned sheepishly, "Yeah, I vaguely remember that...Thanks man. And sorry for falling asleep on ya. I slept like a log and woke up late for class. The professor totally chewed me out, too..." Alfred huffed dramatically at that last part. He then eyed Ivan hesitantly, "Okay spill it Ivan. I know I have a god awful habit of saying or doing the first things that pop into my head...did I say or do anything strange?" He remembered he asked the Russian something. He also remembered liking the feel of Ivan carrying him. Not that'd he'd ever admit that out loud, he was a manly man and he just knew the Russian would tease him about it!

Shifting his eyes so that he wasn't looking directly at Alfred, Ivan nodded. "Da, you did. You asked me if I would like to go on a date with you." Ivan was still slightly shocked at the question. But Alfred had said it himself. It was just some sleepy babbling and he probably had no intention of following up the idea with an actual date. Ivan was, after all, just some creepy stalker that he'd met in an alley. The platinum haired Russian sighed. Once again, he was brought back to that sloppy, now slightly embarrassing scenario. Funny, he'd never been this ashamed of feeding on someone before. Alfred had that effect on him, though.

Alfred face palmed and muttered under his breath, "Oh fuck." It wasn't that he didn't want to go out on a date with the Russian. It was just that now he was forced to admit he was interested in Ivan in a romantic way, despite his instincts and logic telling him we was a creepy and dangerous stalker or something. Alfred really couldn't explain why he was interested in Ivan, he just was. And although he had no reservations on admitting that Ivan was probably the most gorgeous man he'd ever seen; with his platinum almost silver hair, alluring and smoldering, yet cold violet eyes, his small polite and charming smile, he didn't know if he found his large nose sexy or cute, and he was pretty damn sure under all his clothes Ivan had muscular if not a bit husky body. He knew that wasn't the main reason for his almost magnetic attraction to the man. It could have been even though they had a rocky start Ivan had been, at least as of late, very sweet towards Alfred. A teasing jerk, but sweet at the same time. He had defended him, gave him sincere compliments (even if they made him flustered), he listened to Alfred babble and didn't complain, he didn't judge Alfred, and he even pulled thoughtful stunts like helping Alfred into bed when he fell asleep at his desk. It could also have been the air of intrigue and mystery that surrounded Ivan, and the way he seemed to carry himself like he'd seen things Alfred had only heard about in history or seen in nightmares...Maybe it was his desire to get to know this strange man that egged him to pursue him...

He slumped in his chair and avoided eye contact with the person of his fixation, just like the Russian was doing to him. Looking intently at the table, he played with the draw strings on the hoodie he chose to wear today. Blushing, he asked, "So...um, did you want to go on a date?"

Pursing his lips to try and hide the smile that was trying to wiggle its way on his face, Ivan failed miserably. He finally settled for his usually gentle, if not a bit happier smile. "Da. I would really like that, Alfred. That's very sweet of you to offer." Ivan waited for his nervousness to go away, but it never did. A moment of awkward silence passed between the two before Ivan could bring himself to break it. "I-I mean, only if you really want to. You don't have to do anything to appease me, I promise. Really, I will respect your decision whatever it is-"

Alfred looked up startled by Ivan's uncertainty over his nervousness. Sitting up straight and waving his hands in front of him in an exaggerated manner of telling Ivan to stop, he interrupted the Russian's babbling. "No! No, it's not that! It's just...well, um..." He looked away again in embarrassment, a blush seeming to be a permanent accessory of his whenever Ivan was around. Scratching his head with small frown and almost pouting, he continued. "Y-Ya know how I asked ya out at first and was half asleep? And I'm now asking you again since you just told me I asked you out earlier? Well, you see, I didn't really think of anything we could to do...or when, except for Sunday since that's my free day." He bit his lip in preparation for the unavoidable laughing and teasing Alfred was going to receive from the Russian because of how uncool or not suave he was. He honestly just didn't have enough time to think that far ahead!

Ivan blinked, staring straight ahead. "Oh…okay. Ahh…I really don't know if it's your thing, but there's this ice-skating rink in town we could go to. It's just a suggestion." Regaining his usual calm composure, Ivan gave Alfred his signature soft smile. He would admit, the blonde was being cute in all his spontaneity. Alfred's face was painted with a delicious looking red blush, the warm blood pooling in his cheeks at his embarrassment. Ivan decided not to break the silence this time and waited patiently for the other to answer his suggestion.

Alfred's eyes glazed over in memory at the suggestion for a moment. He then blinked and turned his bright blue eyes towards Ivan once more. He smiled and gave a shrug. "Sure, why not?" Ice skating couldn't be that expensive, right? Alfred was pretty sure he could swing it on his college student budget. He took a bite of his lunch, chewing then swallowing. "So what time do you wanna go? And would you like to hang out before hand, or should I pick you up?"

"We can meet up outside the rink, if you want. Do you need directions, or do you already know where it is?" For a split second, there was a hint of recognition – or something along the lines of it – in Alfred's eyes. Ivan wondered briefly if he'd been there before. Ivan was a little let down, wanting to be the one to teach Alfred how to ice skate, but didn't let his small disappoint show. That just meant that they could skate gracefully together. Maybe he could show Alfred a few tricks on the ice…

"Oh, um, actually I don't know where it is. So yeah, directions would be appreciated. I'll warn you though, I've been ice skating before...but I'm not really good at. Like, I can shuffle along the ice just fine, but I usually just plaster myself to the wall of the rink for support." Alfred laughed at his own inability to skate. He then remembered something, "Oh, yeah! I'm pretty sure Artie and Francis wanted to take me to the ice rink once it was cool enough to. Mind if we make it a double date? You wanted to meet them anyway to right?" Alfred asked tilting his head in question a bit. He really hoped Ivan said yes. That way if he starts failing at the date, he could ask Francis for advice...Alfred was ninety percent sure most of the advice he'd receive would be perverted garbage. The other ten percent might actually prove to be helpful, though.

Francis and Arthur. Right. The two other friends of Alfred who strangely matched the description of vampires. Ivan tried to keep his face straight and clean of any conflicting feelings. He could already feel the possessiveness gnawing at him. However, it would be a good opportunity to scope them out and see what exactly they were to Alfred. "A double date sounds perfect. And don't worry. If you fall, I'll be there to catch you." He sent Alfred another smile, his eyes unknowingly drawing the other in. Holding his hand out on the table, he sat and waited. Alfred sent him a bewildered look, freezing up in his chair and ignoring the last remains of his food. Realizing what Alfred thought he wanted, the violet eyed Russian laughed and clarified. "Your cellphone, silly. So I can show you were the rink is."

Alfred blushed a bit in embarrassment. He fished in his pockets for his cellphone. When he found it, he reached over the table as well to hand it to the Russian. He laughed awkwardly, saying, "I thought you went Victorian suitor on me for second there big guy. Hahahaha..." He was glad that Ivan accepted the double date idea. He'd have to check with Francis and Arthur though. Hopefully they could make it. Alfred figured he could drop by after he hung out with Ivan for a bit.

After finishing typing in the coordinates for the ice rink, Ivan handed Alfred's cellphone back. Resting his elbows on the table and his head against his hands, Ivan droned out. "So what is on the agenda for today, Alfred?" He doubted they'd be out walking around all day like yesterday. Ivan had already learned his lesson from that and made damn sure to curse the sun twice as heard this morning.

Alfred took his phone and put it back in his pocket. He looked up with his lips pursed thought. "Hmmm, not really anything. I gotta finish up the paper I was working on at some point today or tonight. I also gotta pop by Francis and Arthur's place to ask if they're free for the double date thing. Um, we could hang out at my dorm and talk and stuff while I work on the paper. I also have plenty of books in my dorm to read, so how does that sound? Unless you had a better idea of course." Alfred shrugged at the end and finished his food, waiting for the Russian to mull over his reply before commenting himself.

"We can do that." Ivan would rather hang around in Alfred's dorm reading a plethora of cheesy French romance novels rather than sulk off somewhere or drone around all day in the sun. "If you still need help with your paper, I can do that too. I'm not intruding too much, am I?" Ivan cocked a pale eyebrow. Alfred had opened himself up to him so much over the past 2 days. He sort of felt like an insensitive asshole barging in on the other's privacy. Well…he sort of was, considering he invaded the blonde's room only two nights ago. But that was then and this was now and Ivan would be damned if he'd become a piece of artic bacon underneath the October sun.

Alfred blinked, and then laughed. "Dude, I invited you. You're not intruding. What ya did a couple nights ago was intruding." Well, in the end despite the awkwardness, it was a very satisfying night. It also helped to relieve some of the tension between them in a way. Alfred then got up and threw away his trash. When he got back to their table, he leaned on his chair and pointed to cafe's front door. He grinned his usual cheery and easy going smile and asked the Russian. "Ready to blow this Popsicle stand?"

Ivan smirked, standing up from his chair. "You say the strangest things. But da, let's go." They fled the café and trekked their way back to Alfred's dorm. It wasn't too far away from the café and Alfred seemed to prefer the exercise rather than taking a cab there. About a half an hour later, the duo was nice and comfortable inside Alfred's cool dorm with the blonde once again working at his computer. Ivan sat in a chair by the door that was next to a bookshelf, flipping through books quickly. Alfred had an almost even mixture of French and English books. It was almost as if the blonde couldn't decide which perspective he enjoyed more. Closing the current book he was holding, Ivan placed it back on the bookshelf and turned his attention to Alfred. "Do you need any help?"

Alfred nodded, sighing a bit he swiveled his rolling chair around to face Ivan. Taking off his glasses and rubbing his forehead a bit, he huffed out in frustration. "Yeah, a bit. I know what they're asking me to write and stuff, and know what I want to write or at least how to convey my opinion. I just don't know how to organize it all into a logical formatting without sounding ramblely." He looked up at Ivan and asked, "Ever read The Little Prince?"

Ivan hummed a bit in thought. "…No, I don't think I have. Maybe if you tell me what it's about, I can help you format your paper." If Alfred was doing the usual MLA format, Ivan knew how annoying that could be. He'd been curious in his day and had spent some time enrolled in high school and college under a fake identity. Teachers often expected students to type their papers in that format, and the formality of it all was major pain, even to someone like Ivan. And he had almost limitless patience. "Are you doing MLA format?"

Alfred groaned out, "Well, yes. But that's not what I meant by formatting. I meant it like, I have my opinions, feelings and ideas all jumbled up in my head and I don't know how to make it flow and form into a logical order or make them connect." He then took a deep breath and began explaining the premise of the book. "Okay, so this pilot crashes in a desert and meets the Little Prince who's this being from some asteroid. He met a rose and fell in love with her. He caught her in a lie and decided he could not trust her anymore. He became lonely because of this and decided to leave Earth, despite a last minute reconciliation with the rose. He travels from planet to planet and discovers the narrow mindedness of adults. He eventually misses the rose and crash lands in the desert, looking for it. A snake that speaks in riddles tries to trick him into letting the snake bite the Little Prince to send him to 'heaven'. The Prince refuses and continues on his search for the rose. He eventually climbs a mountain and is disappointed to find a rose bush. The rose had told him she was one of a kind. Then a fox appears and tells him that the important things in life are only invisible to the heart; that the love one feels for a person makes them responsible to the person. The Prince then realizes that his love for his rose is what makes her special from all the other roses. They then describe a scene with a railway switch-man and a sales clerk before cutting back to the Pilot and the Prince. They'd been traveling eight days and they drank some well water, agreeing that too many people really don't see what's important in life. The Prince is determined to find his rose and plans with the snake to get him back to his planet. The snake bites him and the day before the Prince's one year anniversary of the Prince's arrival on Earth, the Pilot fixes his plane and he is relieved to not see the Prince's body the next day, thinking he must have returned home." Alfred finished his very summed up version of the story. He watched as Ivan drank in the information, blue eyes shining in curiosity. "What do you think?"

"Well…" Ivan started out uneasily and unsure. "It sounds like a lovely story, albeit a bit sad here and there. I suppose I will start out with the obvious question. Do you agree with what the fox said about being responsible to the person you love? Or…do you think that the only thing that makes a person important is if they're one of a kind?" Ivan felt anxiety creeping up on his nerves. He didn't know why, but he was slightly anxious to hear Alfred's answer.

Alfred licked his lips and closed his eyes in thought, trying to formulate what he felt into words. "I...I think I agree with what the Little Prince came up with. That maybe it's love and a sense of responsibility that makes the person special to you. That even if from an objective point of view, people see them as just one in a million or that they are the one in million, as different in a good or bad way. That's not what matters. What matters is the fact that the ties you made with them and the love you feel makes them special to you, regardless of what other people think or how they are perceived by the world. I-If that makes sense." Alfred added the last bit hesitantly, nervous that he didn't convey what he was trying to say correctly. He didn't know why, but he felt like he was providing an answer to Ivan in some way. He just hoped that was the answer he was looking for.

"I think I understand what you mean…" Ivan mumbled quietly. He sat on the edge of Alfred's bed that was facing the computer desk. "I don't think…that people should judge you for face value or because of what others think. And you're right. It all comes down to what you as an individual think." Ivan brought his hand up to his chest and placed it over his heart. There was no thump there, but it didn't stop the ache that was wracking his chest at the moment. He frowned, his eyes doing downcast as his mood plummeted. "I wish everyone thought like you did, Alfred."

Alfred felt a hot blush once again heat up his face at the Russian's sincere approval of his opinion. With a small smile, Alfred stuttered as he thanked Ivan for his kind words. "T-Thanks Ivan. I'm usually yelled at for how idiotic I act, so it's...nice to hear the opposite. I really appreciate the help too. I think I can finish my essay now!" Alfred quickly turned in his chair to begin typing again, feeling light and his heart fluttering at the praise he'd received. As he typed, he couldn't help but smile to himself as his thoughts would drift to the strange, awkward and somewhat sweet Russian.

Ivan sent a charming smile in return and scooted back on Alfred's bed. He laid back on it, clasping his hands across his stomach and sighing. The whole room was permeated with the blonde's delicious scent, but the majority of it came from his bed sheets. It was pleasantly sweet smelling and strangely calming to Ivan's senses. Instead of finding himself thirsty (he always had a strong thirst for Alfred's blood, but it was less predominant now) he found himself relaxing comfortably into the comforter. He turned his head to the side, his nose skimming the soft cotton sheets. He breathed in deeply through his nose, letting out a pleased exhale at Alfred's scent. Alfred was once again typing away at his computer, his face set in an expression of effort. Ivan looked up at the ceiling with lazy violet eyes and smiled. "You smell so good, you know?" He would have felt self-conscious saying it before, but now it felt completely normal throwing it out in the open. Even if Alfred didn't know what Ivan was or why he was saying it, he deserved the compliment nonetheless.

Alfred choked a bit on air, the sudden and strange compliment catching him off guard. Really, could Alfred please go five minutes without blushing in embarrassment or flattery? Apparently not with Ivan. The man seemed to be on a mission to keep Alfred's face cherry red. Sputtering a bit, Alfred exclaimed, "Y-You're so weird, Ivan!" Of course the flustered appearance of the American as he tried to concentrate on his paper took out any sting in the insult. He then mumbled as he calmed down a bit, cheeks still dusted a bright pink. "You're the one with the cute, big nose."

The compliment didn't escape Ivan's sensitive ears. He tapped his nose with his index finger. "Do you really think so? I've always thought that it made me look strange. Thank you, Alfred. That's very sweet of you." Ivan giggled a bit at Alfred's bright red face. He must have expected Ivan to not hear that. Feeling a little brave, Ivan continued. "I think you're a good person, Alfred. There are not many good people in the world these days." Ivan could attest to that himself. He'd seen the cruelty of people and had been there to see it firsthand. "So seeing someone like you, it sort of restores some of my hope in the world."

It took Alfred by surprise that Ivan had heard his compliment, making the American want to bury his head in his pillow. Unfortunately when he glanced toward the bed he found the Russian had invaded it. Besides, it would probably only serve to make him look like a bashful kid if he did that.

"You...you flatter me too much Ivan, really. I just might get a big head if you continue! Hahahaha…" Alfred laughed a bit, trying to dismiss the hope that flared in him from Ivan's words. Alfred always called himself the hero, and even tried to consider himself a good person. He had his insecurities though, his abandonment issues, and how not a lot people took him seriously because of his goofy and brash nature. So, hearing a person call him a good person and acknowledging his efforts at trying to be one really warmed his heart. Even he himself felt like a screw up at times. It was odd considering Ivan has only known him for a few days, but it also felt good to be acknowledged. Despite how happy Ivan's words made him, he still couldn't drown out the skeptic voice in the back of his head.

"Hmm." Ivan hummed in response. He honestly had no idea how he was going to occupy himself for the rest of the afternoon while Alfred did his work. His mind flitted to what they would be doing tomorrow. Ice-skating. And Alfred was a little rusty at it. Ivan wondered if he could coax the blonde into holding his hand while he glided across the ice with him. He smiled a bit as the thought warmed his cold heart. Maybe he could even hold Alfred in his arms and lead him while they skated. Quickly pushing the though from his head, Ivan scowled. They barely knew each other. Alfred wouldn't trust him enough to do something like that. Another, more urgent thought crossed his mind and Ivan found himself wondering about Alfred's 'friends'. "Tell me a little about this 'Francis' and 'Arthur'." He saw the American shoot him a strange look. Ivan continued speaking. "I just want to know what to expect whenever I meet them."

Alfred blinked, thinking it was rather random. He looked up in thought as he continued typing. "Well Artie's a big grump, a 'proper English gentleman'. He's more like a boring old man who nags at me like a mother hen!" Alfred laughed a bit with blue eyes shining in fondness for the Brit. "Ahhh, but Arthur's cool. He can really put up a good argument and he's fun to tease!" Alfred bit his lip as he tried to word this as nicely possible. "Francis, well he's a major flirt and pervert. He takes any opportunity possible to at least take off some of his clothes. He also has a nasty habit of groping people, though he mainly does it to get Arthur jealous. So don't be surprised if he gropes you at some point, he's done it to me plenty of times. Other than that, he's a bit over dramatic, but a fun and caring guy. Both are quirky in their own ways, but they mean well and are true friends!" Alfred felt pretty confident in his assessment of his new friends, and he hoped they got along alright with Ivan. All three were rough around the edges, Ivan especially.

Ivan nodded with a neutral expression. They sounded friendly enough, though he may need to watch out for the French one. He'd laid his hands on Alfred before, right? Ivan would have to make sure to make it clear to the Frenchman that Alfred was off limits for the time being, Or, at least until Ivan skipped town or…he trailed of in though, his face turning blank with horror. What would he do? Kill Alfred sooner or later? He shuddered in disgust at the thought now. Before, he couldn't have cared less, but after personally speaking to Alfred and getting to know him on a deeper level, the thought was absolutely repulsive to Ivan. No…if anything, he'd leave and let Alfred continue on with living his life. He was a vampire and Alfred was a mortal and they couldn't be friends forever. Literally. "They sound like very decent people." Ivan found himself numbly replying. Sitting up from the bed immediately, he stood up and began walking towards the door. "I…just remembered that I have some business to take care of. I'm sorry for leaving so early today, but it's very urgent. I will see you tomorrow at the rink, Alfred. Goodbye." Before he could let the blonde formulate a response, he was out the door and walking quickly down the hallway. He needed some time to sort out his feelings and thoughts. Everything was suddenly so confusing and the fact that Alfred was right across from him wasn't making it any easier to sort his thoughts.

Alfred blinked and stared in shocked confusion at the Russian's sudden departure. "Oh, um…okay. Bye." He mumbled at the now closed door, having been too slow to process Ivan's actions to have formulated a response before the violet eyed man disappeared from Alfred's line of sight. Alfred then turned back to his essay after eyeing the door a bit dumbfounded, Ivan's departure throwing him off a bit. After a couple minutes or so of more typing, he finally completed his essay. Picking up his cell phone, he decided now would be a good time to call Arthur and Francis's apartment number. Dialing the number he leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable as he hit send and listened to the phone ring before someone picked up.

"Francis, you bloody frog, do you think you could do us both a favor and get that!?" Arthur yelled through their shared apartment. The sound of their phone's incessant ringing was beginning to grate on his nerves. Even worse, Francis was closer to it than Arthur was, and he'd be damned if the Frenchie forced him to abandon his book and go answer it. He heard a dramatic whine from the other room, but the ringing stopped and Francis' voice filtered through to house to Arthur.

Francis just rolled his dark, blue eyes at his lover's irritable yelling. Honestly, the man could have been more patient. Francis had been on his way to get the phone. When he reached the counter top that the cordless phone was attached to, he lifted it off its cradled in smooth motion. "Hello? " Francis asked as he pressed the phone to his ear. Soon a cheery smile crept on his face as he listened to the person on the other end's reply. "Ah! Alfred, what a pleasure getting a call from you! What is it you need?" The Frenchman asked, knowing the young man well enough to have either called about something completely unimportant or he needed something. Blue eyes brightened and a small smirk formed from his earlier smile at the American's response. "Oh honhon~ What is this Alfred? A date? This is wonderful news! Who is the lucky girl or boy?" Francis then frowned as the American continued talking on the other end. "I...I see. Well, I'll check with Arthur and call you back, oui?" Despite his troubled frown, he was able to keep his voice from reflecting his negative reaction to the news of whom Alfred would be going on the date with. Hanging up the phone, he turned to his green eyed love with a tense expression. "Arthur...it appears we have a situation."

Arthur recognized the dark expression on Francis' face immediately. "What? What is it?" He had heard that he'd been talking to Alfred about a date of some sort. But even with his enhanced hearing, he couldn't pick up Alfred's replies from the other end. "Is it about Alfred? What happened?" Arthur felt his usual protectiveness over Alfred well up inside of him, and he tossed the book he was reading aside in favor of standing up.

Francis slowly approached the couch Arthur was currently lounging and had been reading on. Sitting next the Brit's out stretched legs, he began. "Now my dear Arthur, don't get worked up and 'pop a vein' as they say. It seems though that our endearingly oblivious and idiotic blonde is now becoming romantically involved with our suspected vampire. They are going on a date this Sunday and Alfred said he wanted to see if we could make it a double date. They are going to the skating rink and I believe we now have a name to our mysterious brethren. His name is Ivan, and by what Alfred said he's looking forward to meeting us. I suspect that he suspects what our true nature is too." As Francis spoke, his voice held barely contained exasperation for the lovable American, but at the same time tried to sound soothing so Arthur didn't blow a fuse and try to do something rash...

"He…what?" Arthur asked blankly, shooting Francis a bewildered look. "He what?!" Arthur repeated, his voice booming throughout their home. Giving an irritated growl, he began his usual habit of pacing the room, something he always did whenever he was about to fly off in a rant. "Idiot! What a bloody idiot! Stupid asshole is going to get himself killed!" Arthur groaned, hands flying up into his hair. "We were going to handle this ourselves, and we didn't act soon enough…now that Russian wanker is going to…" Arthur trailed off, unable to voice all the vile things he wanted to spew about Ivan. "Ivan." Arthur tested the name on his sound. It was as bitter as a pill.

Francis watched his distressed lover pace back and forth in anger. Risking his neck a little, Francis tried to sooth him. Coming up behind the irate man, Francis encircled his slim waist with his pale arms and drew Arthur back into his clothed (for once) chest. In a hesitant, but contemplative voice, Francis spoke his opinion. "This Ivan...I do not think he wishes Alfred harm anymore." He felt Arthur tense, knowing his lover was about to verbally attack him. The Frenchman buried his nose in Arthur's butter blonde hair and spoke against his head. "Calm yourself, mon lapin. If Ivan was going to just off Alfred in the end, he would have killed Alfred the moment he suspected rival vampires. You know how our kind tends to want to avoid each other and competition." It was true. Many vampires tended to avoid each other and remain alone. It could be disastrous if too many vampires lived in one place. The witch hunts were a prime example of humans getting suspicious as to why so many people would be found dead or with mysterious injuries... Francis continued, "I am displeased with this information just as much as you are Arthur, and am worried still for Alfred. I would, however, like to go on this little double date to judge this Ivan's intentions myself..." He trailed of waiting for the now still Brit in his arms to comment on his words.

"But he's a vampire." Arthur stressed the word, his thick eyebrows furrowed in agitation. It was a little hypocritical of him to being saying that, but he always considered he and Francis different from most of the others. They'd been around for a long time and had long since gotten over their bloodlust as fledglings. Ivan, however, was still among the group of older vampires who enjoyed hunting others. It was almost a sport to them. Not that he and Francis didn't enjoy their meals either. They just made sure not to kill more than necessary. Guilt was long lost to them and they'd learned that it did nothing to make their lives easier. "I don't trust him. Maybe he's just playing a game…something is really suspicious about his behavior. One moment he could care less about Alfred's well-being. The next, he's making it his duty to visit him on a regular basis and treat him like a friend. It's not right, Francis."

Francis paused and nodded his head in acknowledgement to what had said. "I agree with you on that, mon cher. It is rather...suspicious and odd. That is why I'm saying we should go on this date with them. We can monitor their interactions and see for ourselves Ivan's true intentions. If we find him to be threat, well we'll just work from there. And if he really has romantic intentions with Alfred, then I fear he may either have to be aware or join our world. Regardless if he's aware of our world or not, if he remains human, he will only have a broken heart when Ivan is forced to flee from here before people become suspicious of all the random 'muggings' or how he doesn't seem to age." Francis really didn't want to see Alfred so crestfallen and have his abandonment issues reinforced by Ivan's sudden disappearance. At least as friends, when Francis and Arthur departed they could at least write to the American every once in a while.

"I don't even want to think about that…" Arthur replied softly, sorrow showing clearly in his eyes. Alfred was a prime example of human life: young, energetic, aspiring, and a little naïve. How much of that would be lost if he was changed into an immortal? The youthful attitude would stick around for a couple years, but once he realized just how stuck in place he really was, that shine in his eyes will most likely disappear. Arthur didn't think he could bear the thought. Alfred was like (even if he didn't like using the term) son and it pained Arthur to think about this…Ivan stealing all that away from him. "Fine. Just…fine. We'll go. But I swear it, if Ivan even so much as implies he's going to hurt Alfred, I'll burn him on the spot."

Francis smiled a bit into the Brit's hair, a chuckle bubbling from him just at Arthur's threat. Giving the top of his head a light kiss, he said, "I wouldn't expect any less from you, mon Lapin." Then Francis was back to his flirtatious self, the arm that was snaked around Arthur moving to grope his bottom. "Now that we have come to that conclusion...let us be off to 'bed' now! Honhonhon~" With that he scooped the now blushing and struggling Brit in his arms bridal style and practically skipped to their bed room. Francis would call Alfred in the morning to tell him their answer.


	7. First Date

It was Saturday night, and Ivan was damn sure that he, an immortal, was about to literally die of boredom. What had begun as a tiny urge to check up on Alfred had turned into an all-out ache to see the other. Their almost-a-week of hanging out together had already become a comfortable routine for Ivan in Paris. Without Alfred to distract him, Ivan found himself wandering around the city aimlessly. He tried popping into some clubs and finding someone worth feeding on or having some "fun" together, but even that wasn't enough to sate his need for the American right now. Ivan's sexual appetite was beginning to get the best of him, and despite the crowds of beautiful men and women surrounding him, he couldn't bring himself to lure any of them out that way. So instead, he ended up in the park with a rather tipsy women pressed up against the tree with his fangs buried deep in her neck. She moaned deliriously, clutching at his clothes and trying to press against him, but Ivan held her back as much as he could at this close proximity. Soon her moans turned into loud whimpers as Ivan's sucking became painful and her body became pale from too much blood loss. By the time she tried to scream for help, she was too drained to summon her voice. Ivan pulled his fangs from her neck and let her drop unceremoniously on the ground, her short dress bunched up around her hips and her arms and legs limp and flung out. Ivan wiped his mouth against the back of his sleeve, staining it with red. The blood was decent enough, but it still wasn't quite what he was looking for. It wasn't near as sweet enough and the texture was thin compared to his blood. Ivan sighed, staring down at the body with his hands in his pockets. He'd have to dispose of it so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. Bending down, he gathered the limp body of the woman in his arms and made his way quickly to the river that was close by. He waited until he was sure that the bridge and surrounding areas was empty before tossing the corpse in and watching it drift downstream. Maybe she'd drift out into the ocean…

Leaning against the railing of the bridge, Ivan stared up into the star-speckled sky. It was late, a little after 1 AM. Tomorrow afternoon, he'd meet up with Alfred and his 'friends' at the rink. Ivan smiled at that thought. He couldn't wait to see Alfred again and hear his cheerful voice. Tomorrow, he could touch Alfred without fear of being reprimanded. He would, of course, be helping the other skate, right? So that meant that he'd have to hold Alfred at first. And it was a date, correct? Dates implied romance, and romance implied kissing and hugging. Ivan wouldn't mind kissing Alfred again…

Deciding that he should head back to his current 'home', Ivan disappeared from the bridge, traveling as fast as the wind through the city. It wouldn't hurt to do a little bit of preparation. Maybe he'd get Alfred a gift. That would make Alfred like him better…right? Ivan idly wondered what he should get the other. He knew Alfred loved literature, but he already had plenty of books. Flowers would be slightly awkward, considering that Alfred had already given him some. They were currently resting in a nice vase inside Ivan's home. Maybe…a little forget-me-not was at hand? Or would that be too romantic…Alfred didn't seem like the type who enjoyed those types of displays. Then again, he was sort of obsessed with French Romanticism. Ivan would get him something nice, then. If Alfred didn't like it, he could always try again. He'd have to pick something up tomorrow morning before he went to meet up with Alfred.

-x-

These past few days had been rather dull, but busy for Alfred. Between working on class assignments and working at the cafe, Alfred had no time to talk to Ivan. Except for the brief phone call he gave the Russian, who had apparently programmed his flat's number into Alfred's cell phone after programming the directions to the skating rink. He had told the Russian in that phone call that a) Arthur and Francis could make it to their double date and b) That Ivan shouldn't bother coming to the café because he was so jam packed with class work. As Alfred finished up his last pages of assigned reading for his French Literature class, he let out a sigh of relief and put the book down on his night stand. Turning off his reading light, he glanced at the alarm clock on his night stand, it reading 12 AM. Alfred smiled. Now he should get some rest before the big date. He had gotten all the work he needed done for the week these past few days so he could relax and enjoy the date on Sunday. He had really missed the Russian these past couple of days, having grown used to the Russian's presence already. Well, he'd see him tomorrow, as well as his two friends. With a content smile, Alfred snuggled into his sheets and drifted off to sleep, anticipating the coming morning.

His dreams however, seemed to want to ruin the American's happy slumber. As every dream since the beginning of this week began, he was once again unable to move. The pitch black surroundings were also illuminated once again by the strange purple orbs and shiny pointed teeth. As Alfred began to struggle against the invisible force trying to keep him down, he expected to feel his throat to be once again thrown in agony as a sharp pain would come from the teeth above clamping down on his neck. He whimpered out a slight "N-No…" Much to Alfred's surprise, he'd only been able to cry and scream in agony or moan and gasp in pleasure in all these dreams so far. What shocked him even more, though, was the sound of a cold, almost familiar voice saying something incoherent right before the sharp piercing sensation he had expected before now chose to come. Now the dream proceeded as normal, the utter silence of the dream only broken by Alfred's pained cries and whimpers. His agony finally ended moments later, to be replaced by the only pleasant part of this dream. Feeling the same teeth sink into his neck once again, this time gently and slowly, Alfred let out a breathy moan. The soft sucking sensation comforted him from the earlier pain he felt, as invisible hands caressed him in a soothing fashion. Once the sharp, white teeth once again parted from his abused neck he felt his hand move in the repeated fashion of checking what mysterious liquid was dripping from his neck. And like how all of his dreams ended, he woke up before he could see what was on his hands.

-x-

Ivan approached the skating rink with barely suppressed anxiety. He was happy to finally get to see Alfred, but wary of the two friends who would be tagging along with him. He was just turning the corner of the street that the rink was located on, and in the distance he could see Alfred standing with another pair of men. Recognition flashed immediately in Ivan's eyes. He almost stopped walking, but urged his feet forward, not wanting to throw Alfred off or alert the other two men. Familiar deep blue and emerald eyes stared him down as he drew closer to Alfred. Ivan kept his own amethyst eyes locked with the duo, eying them suspiciously. It was the pair of vampires that he had seen that night in the bar. The familiar, icy sweet scent that accompanied most vampires were present on them as well. Turning his eyes to Alfred, Ivan's stern look morphed into a sweet smile. "Privyet, Alfred! How are you today?" He looked down at the blonde who was about one or two inches shorter than him. Alfred stared back with his typical warm smile.

Previous to Ivan's arrival, Alfred had been babbling to his friends all about what Ivan and he had done the past week. Francis was genuinely shocked at what he heard. This Ivan was certainly a complex character. It seemed to Francis that Ivan had targeted the blonde for his blood. He then started targeting for blood and lust, and somewhere in between now and then he had developed feelings of at least fondness for the American. Then again this could all be an act...the stubble chinned man would just have to wait and meet Ivan before he would pass his judgment. Suddenly, both Arthur and Francis smelt the familiar icy sweetness of one of their own kind. Dark blue and moss green eyes narrowed in the direction of the new comer, and they both noted that their suspicions on who the mysterious vampire was, was proven correct.

The sudden shift in his companion's attention stopped Alfred mid-sentence. As he turned to see what they were staring at, his baby blue eyes met amethyst eyes. As Ivan drew closer, he waved and grinned up at the man eagerly. At the Russian's question, he answered with a laugh. "Pretty good! How has yours been?"

"Boring, until now." Ivan smiled brightly at Alfred. "Oh! I almost forgot." Ivan reached into the pocket of his dark coat and retrieved the little wrapped gift he had purchased for Alfred. It had cost him quite a bit of money, but then again, money was never really an issue for him. He hoped that the blonde liked it. He'd been sure to be careful when choosing Alfred's gift. He'd finally settled on a necklace with a facet-cut amethyst gem shaped like a heart. Ivan was a little afraid that it might be a little overboard or mushy or Alfred's taste, but he was willing to take the risk. He had surprised himself whenever he'd picked out the heart-shaped gem. He'd only known Alfred for about a week now, so there was no way he could already be falling in love with him, right? It was just a small attraction, that was all… At least that's what Ivan kept telling himself. He handed the wrapped box over to Alfred. It was wrapped up with a baby blue bow and the wrapping paper was shiny and golden. Alfred took the gift with a surprised expression, holding it gingerly in his hands. "Ivan crossed his hands behind his back, smiling down at the blonde. "Open it."

Alfred blinked in stunned surprise, gingerly taking the present and opening it upon Ivan's request. Alfred guessed he shouldn't be this surprised, considering he had seemingly randomly gotten Ivan flowers just a few days prior. Still though, he had honestly not expected this and was curious about what it was, especially when he opened the wrapping and saw a jewelry box. Opening it up he saw a necklace with a cute purple gem, the same color of Ivan's eyes, that had been cut into a simple heart shape. The gem looked to be amethyst, but it couldn't be right? That would have been far too expensive...especially since they've only known each other for a week!

Taking the necklace out of the small velvet box it was in, he gave Ivan a small but warm smile. "Oh, um wow Ivan...that was really sweet of you!" Alfred really didn't usually go for cutesy or girly stuff, or accessories in general. He did however appreciate the gesture and the time Ivan must have put into getting him this little gift. He pulled the big Russian into a hug, "Thanks big guy. I'm sorry I didn't get you anything..." He admitted sheepishly.

Ivan gasped slightly at the hug, Alfred's body bathing him in warmth in the cool air of October. He carefully returned the hug, not wanting to scare the other away. Alfred's sweet scent swirled around him, embedded in his jacket and his hair and his skin. Ivan almost found himself salivating at the smell, but repressed his instinctual urges. "It's okay. You've already gotten me something, remember? But I'm glad you like it. You…do like it, right? You don't have to lie to me if you don't. I'll find you something different, if you want me to." Ivan saw the slight hesitation on Alfred's face. Maybe he had acted too soon.

When he noticed Ivan's reaction to his hesitation, he grinned up reassuringly at the Russian. It was nice to see Ivan being the more nervous of the two for once. "Nah, you don't have to take it back. I don't usually go for accessories and stuff, but I'll make an exception for you big guy!" Alfred smirked teasingly as he drew back from the hug, lightly and playfully punching his arm. He then took the necklace in his hands and struggled a bit with the clasp before snapping it on, tucking the small heart under his jacket.

An impatient cough brought the two out of their own little world. Alfred turned in confusion, the irritated green eyes glaring at him as if asking if he'd forgotten something. Laughing at his own forgetfulness, Alfred rubbed the back of his head and motioned to his friends. Pointing to each one respectively Alfred made the introduction. "Oh, yeah. Um, Ivan this is Arthur Kirkland and Francis Bonnefoy. Artie and Francis, this is Ivan!"

Francis had watched Ivan and Alfred's little moment with a raised brow, dark ocean blue eyes shining in astonishment at the honest affection Ivan had in his eyes as he stared at Alfred. Being the expert on love that he is, Francis easily picked up on how the stare was almost just on the edge of being loving. Alfred's own eyes were bright like an excited puppies, and honestly happy. Francis tried not to smile at the exchange. As the other two's attention shifted back to Arthur and himself as Alfred introduced him, Francis put on a friendly smile. "A pleasure to meet you Ivan. Especially after hearing all about you from Alfred here." Francis teased the American lightly, causing said American's face to heat up in an instant blush.

"The pleasure is all mine. I've heard a lot about the two of you." Ivan returned the smile, though his held a much darker tint to it. "You two seem like such good friends to Alfred. He talks about you almost like one talks about their parents." Ivan laughed a little at the deeper blush on Alfred's face. He held his hands up as if to apologize. Ivan then turned to the more grumpy looking of the pair: the shorter, butter-blonde headed man standing next to Francis. "So if he is Francis, than you must be Arthur, correct?" Ivan could literally feel the antagonism rolling off of Arthur in waves.

"Yeah, I am." Came the curt reply. Arthur didn't dignify Ivan with any more than that. Shrugging, Ivan allowed the Brit to cast him off. He didn't need Arthur's permission to be around Alfred. The American was a full grown man and could make his own decisions.

"So…how about we head inside so we can skate?" Ivan suggested cheerfully. He turned to Alfred, seeing him nod.

Alfred was snapped out of his quiet mumblings about traitorous Frenchmen and Russians by Ivan's question. Shrugging his shoulders still with a light blush, he smiled back at Ivan. "Sure! Onwards my fellow companions!" Alfred cheered as he linked his arm with Ivan and began dragging the Russian toward the ticket counter. Alfred had noticed how tense Arthur had been. Then again, Arthur didn't typically warm up to people quickly. So there was some hope that Ivan and Arthur may get along. It would suck if this date were made awkward by any animosity between the two. As Alfred and the rest of his companions were busy getting their skates on in the locker room, Alfred was pulled out of his musings by a realization. He'd been so caught up in thinking that he didn't notice how Ivan paid for both their admittance and their skates. Turning to the Russian with a dissatisfied frown he caught him in the middle of tying on his last skate as he asked him. "Hey Ivan?" Violet eyes flickered up questioningly as Ivan paused in his task of tying his skate. Continuing, Alfred questioned. "I asked you out right?"

"Da." Ivan answered, raising a pale brow. "I specifically remember you asking me once when you were half asleep and again the next day. Why?"

Alfred continued, "And you paid for my admittance, skates and also bought me present, right?"

"Da…?" Ivan repeated, turning to face Alfred this time. He sat on the bench of the locker room, waiting for the blonde to explain why he was asking so many questions. Was Alfred nervous or something?

Alfred looked at Ivan with a small confused frown. "...Aren't I supposed to do those things since I asked you?" Alfred was pretty sure it was his job to pay for everything since he had asked the Russian out.

Ivan tilted his head to the side a bit. "Not really…I know it's usually the traditional thing to do, but there's nothing wrong with me paying. I'd rather pay. You have enough to worry about, what with taking care of school and feeding yourself. I can handle anything we need to buy." Standing up from the bench, Ivan easily walked over to Alfred, the blades of the skates barely affecting his balance. "I believe your friends are waiting for us out on the ice. Shall we go?" He extended his hand down, hoping that Alfred would take it.

With a huff, Alfred accepted the hand and was pulled up by the tall Russian. "Fine...but I'm totally paying next time! 'Cause otherwise it wouldn't be fair..." Alfred blushed when he realized he was implying that he wanted to go on another date, even though this one had barely even begun. "T-That's if you want to do this again." He added on lamely, hoping to save some face somehow as he followed Ivan toward the rink. Alfred was able to balance just fine on the floor around the skating rink, it being designed to make the skates grip the floor. Now getting on the ice will be another story entirely.

Francis and Arthur were already out on the ice, skating easily and without a hint of unsteadiness. The Brit was being led by the Frenchman around the rink, but had turned his attention to Alfred and Ivan. Arthur narrowed his eyes, speaking without looking at Francis. "I still don't trust him. I don't care how 'sweet' he acts towards Alfred. I still believe it's all just an act."

Francis still didn't like their relationship since it could only bring hardships on Alfred, rather it being Ivan suddenly disappearing from his life or turning him into one of them himself. He didn't, however, think that Ivan treating Alfred like he was was an act. "Non, Arthur. I know these things and it seems Ivan's affections are sincere. I could see it in his gaze. He's close to falling in love with Alfred. Alfred himself is a bit farther away from falling in love, but he's definitely interested." Despite his disapproval of the nature of this new couple, he was hesitant about doing anything to stop the two of them. Francis had never seen Alfred this happy, which was saying something considering the upbeat person Alfred was.

Arthur didn't give Francis a reply. He continued staring into Alfred and Ivan's direction. Something about Ivan didn't sit well with him. Even if Francis was right and Ivan held no ill intentions for Alfred, there was still something very ominous about the platinum haired vampire. It was like disaster and danger was waiting to strike at any moment.

Ivan stepped out onto the ice and then turned around to look at Alfred. "Be honest, because I don't want you bruising your tailbone. Can you skate well enough to keep yourself upright, or do you need me to help you start off?" Ivan silently hoped it was the latter. He'd been thinking about skating with the blonde since they agreed on the date's location. The idea of leading Alfred around the rink was too appealing to pass up.

Alfred blushed a bit, "Um, I can get on the ice just fine, and I can skating somewhat normally if, like I said before, I'm clinging to the wall. If I skate away from the wall though, I sorta just shuffle along the ice and periodically fall on my ass. S-Sorry I'm not going to be much fun skating with." Alfred rubbed the back of his head and laughed apologetically. He felt bad that he wouldn't be able to horse around with Ivan, or race and what not. Though Alfred would admit that the reason he agreed was so he had the opportunity to at least hold Ivan's hand. Speaking of hands, the one that had been scratching the back of his head bumped up against the ends of his glasses. Eyes widening in realization Alfred gasped, "Oh shit! I almost forgot!" Before Ivan could ask what Alfred had forgotten, the American was already walking as fast as he could in his skates back to where the shoe lockers were. Alfred quickly took off his glasses and opened his locker, opening it and sticking the glasses with his shoes he closed the locker, he scurried back to Ivan as fast as he could. "Okay! I'm good now." Alfred stated with a smile as he shakily got on the ice, clutching railing that separated the ice rink from the surrounding floor.

Ivan shot Alfred a completely confused look. "Don't you need your glasses to see, though? Skating will only be harder if you can't even see where you're going. And no, don't put yourself down about not being able to skate well. That's why I'm here, to help you." But in all seriousness, Alfred taking his glasses of was really confusing and wasn't going to help his skating very well.

Alfred just grinned up at Ivan, with a look that said 'Ha! I know something you don't know.' Alfred felt his heart flutter a bit at Ivan saying he'll help him. Mattie was the only one who ever had the patience to skate with Alfred when they were younger. Usually his friends would stick around for a bit before Alfred would notice they were bored and told them they could go on without him. "Oh, my glasses are nonprescription, I don't actually need them." Alfred partially explained, waiting to see if Ivan would inquirer more on the subject.

"Nonprescription? Then why do you wear them at all?" Were they just for looks? Alfred did look awfully cute in his glasses, but it still didn't make sense to wear them all the time like he did. Ivan leaned against the barricade, waiting for Alfred to explain himself.

Alfred smiled, "How about we get skating and I'll tell ya. Don't want to block the entrance from other people right?" He didn't mind telling Ivan why he wore his glasses, considering he already told Ivan his whole back story with Matthew. Ivan nodded his consent to the idea and held out his hand to Alfred, smiling at him hesitantly. Alfred smiled back and took his hand before letting go of the wall and completely clinging to the Russian's arm to keep his balance.

Ivan could tell right off that Alfred was unsteady on the ice. He legs trembled as if knowing that they'd come out from under him as soon as Ivan let go. Ivan started skating slowly, making sure to keep a grip on Alfred's left arm and an arm snaked around his waist for support. If Alfred was about to fall, he could easily catch him before he hit the ice, but that probably wouldn't be the smart thing to do. He didn't need to show off his quick, better than human reflexes. So he'd probably let Alfred bust his ass on the ice a couple times for good measure, as much as he'd rather not have the blonde hurt himself. "Okay, first thing is first. Don't look at your feet too often. You make yourself nervous by doing that." As expected, Alfred was looking down at the ice and watching his feet glide uneasily across the rink. Ivan used the tip of his finger to tilt the other's head up. "Now, hold on to me and we'll increase our pace a bit. You can't do much skating whenever you're shuffling across the ice like that." Ivan felt Alfred's hands clutch onto his arm with a firm grip as the Russian began to increase their speed a bit. At first, Alfred was unsteady, letting out a few shaky breaths and clinging onto the Russian with a death grip. After a lap or two around the rink, though, he began to ease his grip and become a tad more independent. Ivan settled for just holding onto Alfred's arm now while the other managed to skate on his own for a bit. Thinking that Alfred could try skating without support, Ivan let go of him and let Alfred skate uneasily forward. He managed to keep himself upright for a little bit, but he wasn't doing much whenever it came to propelling himself. Alfred must have been too afraid to move his feet off the ice. A look of determination crossed the blonde's face as he tried lifting up one foot to place on the ice in front of him. But as soon as it came up from the ice, he began wobbling, and Ivan found himself skating back over to Alfred. He caught the blonde before he could hit the ice, his arms wrapped awkwardly around Alfred in a hug. "Careful. Don't try to push yourself to do things you're not sure of. No one learns how to skate right away. It takes constant practice."

Alfred blushed and gave a curt nod, "R-Right, thanks for the save dude." Pushing the taller man to the side of him, he took a deep breath and tried to push off again. His foot though, as it pushed off the ice, slipped out to the side. This caused Alfred's whole leg to go with it, and Alfred flailed to grab hold of something to regain his balance. That something turned out to be Ivan's coat sleeve, and despite being very used to the ice and being a strong vampire, even Ivan could lose his balance on the slippery ice. Especially if his sleeve was tugged on harshly and dragged downward with the falling American. They both landed on top of each other. Alfred had landed painfully on his back while Ivan landed on top of Alfred. Their stomachs were right on top of each other, the sudden weight on Alfred's stomach knocking the wind out of him. Alfred groaned out, "Ugh, sorry big guy."

Ivan stared down in slight shock. He was pressed flush against Alfred and could even feel heat coming from the other despite the frigid temperature of the rink. Quickly scrambling off the other, he held his hand out to Alfred, a sheepish look on his face. "No need to apologize. Are you okay, Alfred?"

Alfred smiled up at Ivan with a small diffident, but appreciative smile. "Thanks." He mumbled, accepting the offered hand. Ivan pulled the wheat blonde up in an effortless and smooth motion, causing Alfred to quickly grab on to Ivan's upper arm with one hand to steady himself while Ivan gripped the arm holding his just above the blonde's elbow. Their current position was like some mock dancing pose, and Ivan's violet eyes seemed to sparkle as he got an idea. The hand that had pulled Alfred up copied their other arm's position, now their dancing pose looked like a middle school dance one where all dancers were required to be arm's length apart. Alfred blinked and looked up at Ivan for an explanation, a small blush forming on his cheeks as sapphire eyes looked up at Ivan curiously.

"Let's try skating like this." Ivan suggested with a cheerful smile. He began skating backwards, much to Alfred's impressment. He led the blonde easily around the rink, keeping a steady grip on the other's waist as they glided quickly and effortlessly across the ice. Judging by the look in Alfred's eyes, Ivan could tell that he'd never skated this fast or effortlessly before, even if it was Ivan doing most of the work. They neared the curve of the rink, so Ivan easily lifted Alfred a bit off of the ice so he could make the turn. The American flushed and sputtered a bit, obviously a little deterred that Ivan had done something like that, but the Russian paid him no mind and kept his usual, small smile on his face. "This is fun, da?" He spoke quietly, looking down at the blonde once Alfred's feet had touched the ice and they were skating in a straight line again.

Alfred was flushed, eyes wide in surprise at how effortlessly the Russian lifted him. He'd seen people skate backwards before, but he was still impressed at Ivan being able to do it while helping Alfred balance. Grinning up the Russian and laughing a bit, he bopped Ivan's arm, "Don't suddenly do that! You scared me man! ...But yes, this is fun." The sudden loss of ground had startled Alfred, he would admit, though that the sudden adrenaline rush had been fun though. Once he was safely on the ground his blue eyes flashed a bit in realization as he remembered something. "Oh hey, you wanted to know why I wear glasses even though I don't need them right?"

"Ah, I forgot about that. Da, why don't you tell me?" Ivan slowed their pace on the ice a bit so that the wind wasn't whipping by them anymore. During their little skating fiasco, he'd all but forgotten the Frenchman and Brit who were still skating on the other side of the rink. Every once in a while, he'd get a glare from Arthur or an unintelligible look from Francis. Turning his attention back to Alfred, he waited for the blonde to explain the glasses deal to him.

Alfred began his story, "Well the glasses were actually Mattie's. When we were both younger, even though we were fraternal twins we still looked almost identical. If someone wasn't paying attention then we'd easily get confused for one another, only no one ever confused me for Mattie. He was usually the one confused for me. So, in an attempt to be more identifiable from me, he begged our parents when we were like thirteen to by him nonprescription glasses. And of course you know how the rest of the story goes. I wear his glasses now sorta like in his memory, you know? He called them Quebec. We have dual citizenship in Canada and the good U.S of A. Mattie though always identified more with being Canadian like our mom, and me of course being a hundred percent American! I like to call them Texas now~" Alfred got a little side tracked from the point of the story toward the end. It was still extra information that the Russian didn't know.

"Oh…" Ivan actually found himself rather touched by the notion. Alfred must have really been attached to his brother. It actually made the Russian a little sad whenever he combined this new information with the story about how Matthew passed away. Alfred, though wearing a happy smile, had a look of sadness in his eyes. That smile didn't reach his sky blue hues. Pursing his lips for a moment, Ivan contemplated what he should do. Deciding to take the risk, since it was a date after all, he lowered his head and pressed a chaste kiss to Alfred's lips. They were soft and warm under Ivan's pale, chilly ones. Pulling away slowly, he sent the surprised blonde a hesitant smile. "That's a very sweet thing of you to do. You have a big heart, Alfred."

Alfred blushed a bit at the sweet kiss. It was different then when they'd made out that one time. That had just been a release of sexual tension. This had actual affection. Alfred felt a smile pull at the corners of his mouth as Ivan's cool and smooth lips parted from his own. Alfred was about to comment when he felt a slim pair of arms wrap around his waist. They pulled him away from the Russian. Alfred hadn't even noticed during the short kiss that they had stopped skating...

"Alfred~! I hope I'm not interrupting, but I saw these wonderful snacks at the snack bar! Why don't we check them out, mi ami?" Francis asked as he whisked a confused Alfred away from a confused and slightly irritated Ivan. He led him out of the rink so Arthur could give Ivan a bit of a talk. The both of them had been watching Alfred and Ivan, and they thought now was as good of a time as any to get answers from the Russian and 'set him straight' as they put it.

Ivan shot an icy glare in Francis' direction. He didn't appreciate how the other wrapped his arms around Alfred like that. A sharp pang of jealousy and distaste coursed through Ivan at the sight. He didn't have long to sulk in his jealousy because Arthur was skating towards him now, his usual sullen expression plastered to his face. Ivan stayed perfectly still and waited until the Brit was right in front of him. "Privyet, Arthur. That is your name, right?" Ivan's voice was slightly sardonic in its tone.

Arthur's lips twitched at the sound of Ivan's voice. "I'm not here to make small talk, Russian. I'm here to warn you that Francis and I know what you are. We've seen what you've done to Alfred and how you've taken advantage of him. It's not right, not in the least. We've cut you a break up until now, but if you ever hurt or use Alfred again, we'll personally take care of you ourselves." Arthur's posture held an air of confidence to it, not being deterred by Ivan's intimidating stature one bit.

"I see…" Ivan murmured, sending the Brit a glowing, violet eyed stare. Arthur's own eyes flashed a brilliant emerald, the instinctual need to defend their property and territory rising. "Well, one vampire should not dabble in another's business, da? What I do with Alfred in my free time is exclusively between him and me. Besides, I haven't killed him yet or hurt him too much." He had almost ripped the other's throat out, but he made up for it by being gentler with Alfred the second time, right? "Also, Alfred seems to like me pretty well, and I don't even have to enthrall him to make him do it, either. So I honestly don't see what the problem is."

Scoffing, Arthur cast his gaze to the side. "Don't act all innocent and holy on me, vampire. I know your kind. I've seen vampires of your type before. You like to treat everything like an elaborate little game and once you become bored of whatever you're doing, you tie up the loose ends and disappear." Crossing his arms against his chest, Arthur continued. "I'm not saying that Alfred doesn't deserve his privacy or can't make his own decisions. But you know you can't lie to him forever. He will either die by your hands, in your company, wither away with old age, or become one of us. And quite frankly, none of those options sounds too appealing do they?"

Ivan bit his bottom lip, taking Arthur's words to heart. The Brit was right…there were only so many choices and outcomes that could come from this little relationship he and Alfred had formed. However, unlike the Brit, Ivan did find some of the options more appealing than others. "I'm not stupid, I know that. I've always known that, and I really couldn't care less. Also, you of all people should know that pain is a regular occurrence with our kind. Even pleasure comes with a little bit of pain. For example, I know I hurt Alfred each time I bite him, but he also enjoys it quite a bit. You should honestly hear him." Ivan giggled mischievously, enjoying the growl that emanated from Arthur. "But don't worry. I understand what you're saying. There's no need to worry about Alfred. He's a big boy and he can take care of himself."

Forcing himself to level out his expression, Arthur sent Ivan a tense and stony look. "Just remember, Russian, that if you ever purposely endanger Alfred or force him to do things against his will, you'll have hell to pay. That's a promise I can keep, too." Doing a 180 on the ice, Arthur turned away and skated back to the opposite side of the rink. Ivan watched his retreating back before taking off into a slow pace. He'd mull over the Brit's words while he waited for Alfred to come back.

While Arthur was giving Ivan a hard time, Francis decided to see what was going on between the two of them from Alfred's perspective. When Alfred and Francis were out of earshot (vampire earshot that is, they passed human ear shot a while ago) and making their way to the concession stand, Francis asked the American. "Alfred, tell me seriously...how does Ivan treat you? It is hard to believe that you two are out on a date when just a week ago he tried to molest you in an alley."

Alfred snorted and stated, "So that's why you brought me out here. Totally knew it wasn't about food." Though Francis appreciated food, he wouldn't have interrupted 'amour' for it. And it was pretty obvious that Ivan and him were having a moment.

Francis chuckled. Alfred was more intelligent then he let on. "Oui, this little trip wasn't about food." He then glanced at Alfred from the corner of his eyes. The blonde hadn't even tried to brush off the arm looped around his waist. Even if this was the norm for Francis, the boy was honestly too easy to take advantage of. That was what Francis was concerned about, aside from the possible outcomes of Alfred and Ivan's relationship. "Alfred...I am serious. Arthur and I are concerned. Please answer me. I'm your big brother Francis! You can tell me." He gave the American's waist a reassuring squeeze.

Alfred frowned a bit. He really wished Francis and Arthur would have more faith in him. At the same time though, he could understand their concern. It honestly scared Alfred how fast his feelings for Ivan were growing. He didn't know what it was, but something about Ivan just drew him towards the violet eyed man. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he began to try and explain to Francis what he was seeing in the Russian. "Well, at first he was a complete creeper with the whole molestation thing. Then he was creepy and a total dick-ish flirt, but he ...he flattered me and listened to me ramble on and on. He didn't honestly seem to mind. Uh, then he was a creeper again when he had sneaked into my dorm room. Hot creep, though. Then I told him about Mattie Mattie and my parents and he stood up for me and he listened. He's just been really sweet lately. I don't know, something changed. Like, he stopped looking at me as some amusing toy or something and saw me. And he hasn't pressured me since then to do anything, like he wants us to be friends and comfortable around each other. I-I don't know Francis, something just changed and I like it. I like it a lot." Alfred bit his lip nervously, not sure how the Frenchman would react to his confession. Brighter blue eyes met Deep blue as Alfred peaked up at Francis to gauge his reaction.

Francis looked hesitant. It was worse than he thought. The two didn't know it yet, but they were falling in love. Francis was very rarely wrong about these things. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Francis knew he probably couldn't do anything without acting drastically to stop this. "Alfred...just tell me this. Are you happy?" Francis asked softly. His reply was an enthusiastic nod and a bright confident smile. Francis gave a smaller one back in return. That was all the answer he needed. "Good, now how about we actually get you some food at the concession stand?" Francis chuckled at the enthusiastic, "Fuck yeah!" he got from the other blonde.

Alfred was left to shuffle awkwardly along the wall as Francis went back to skate with Arthur. Ivan was, unfortunately for Alfred, on the other side of the rink, looking extremely pensive. So Alfred was trying to skate over to the Russian and was failing. He was doing better than before though, and that made Alfred happy. After several minutes he was able to make it to the Russian's side. He looked at the Russian curiously and leaned up against edge of the small wall separating the rink from the floor. His position contrasted Ivan's who had his arms resting on the wall ledge with his back to the rink. "Watcha thinking about?" Alfred asked, Ivan's eyes snapping to him as he just noticed the smaller blonde. Alfred looked a bit out of breath from his adventure of getting to Ivan and he had crumbs on his face from a pastry he finished before getting on the ice.

Ivan waited a moment before he answered. His voice was stiff and full of tension. "Your friend is being very difficult about me being your friend. Apparently, he has major doubts about me." Sighing, Ivan used his thumb to brush the crumbs of a strawberry pastry off the corners of Alfred's mouth. "He doesn't really like me, and I can't say that I like him much, either." At least he was being honest with Alfred. He deserved the truth. Well…at least the undertone of the situation. If he knew the full truth, he'd probably be running from Ivan at the moment and trying his ever-loving best to avoid him. That thought forced another, more somber sigh from Ivan. He turned his violet gaze to the ice and muttered, "Maybe this is all a mistake…"

Alfred frowned at that, though he did blush a bit at Ivan wiping off his face. "Well, Artie takes some time getting used to people. And even if you two don't become good friends, it sucks but it's okay. And I don't think going out was a mistake...I mean, if I wanna be your friend or more that's my decision, and-and I was really having fun!" Maybe Alfred was the only one having fun? The thought made Alfred deflate a bit, not wanting to be the only one enjoying their date.

Ivan couldn't resist smiling at Alfred obviously trying to make him feel better. "That's what I told him. You're a big boy and you can take care of yourself." Well…not so well against vampires, but Alfred was old enough to make his own decisions. He was intelligent and perceptive of the things around him. If Alfred felt that this was wrong before, than why was he here now? "I'm sorry, I'm ruining this day for you, aren't I? I promise not to mope for the rest of the time that we're here." Ivan pushed off of the wall, grabbing Alfred's hand as he went. "Now, let's try some more skating. You seemed to do a pretty decent job at getting over here." He twirled the blonde around with ease and resumed the stance they had before they'd been interrupted.

Alfred smiled up in pride at the Russian, "You bet your ass I did!" He then felt Ivan give him a twirl, causing Alfred to yelp in surprise as the world spun for a second. The American would go to the grave proclaiming it was the manliest yelp in all of history, so manly that even Chuck Norris would feel like a little girl. Alfred gave Ivan a weak glare and was slightly pouting. "Hey! I told you not to suddenly do stuff like that! I'll fall!" Alfred whined as Ivan started them off at a normal pace around the rink.

Laughing a little, Ivan just brushed Alfred's complaint off. "But it's fun, right? You know that I won't let you fall." Ivan's mood had done a complete 180 since talking to Arthur. Alfred had that effect on him. It was strange how just a few words and a smile from the blonde could make him feel so much better. In hindsight, Ivan felt horrified at what he was planning to do to Alfred whenever he'd first met him. How could he have been so…ruthless with him? Then again, he'd never really cared that much about anyone like this until Alfred came along. Ivan still wasn't sure on how he felt about the blonde. He liked Alfred a lot. He was attracted to him not only physically, but emotionally as well. At first it had been purely physical and for his blood, but now…what was it now? Was it love? Ivan felt his chest tighten at the word. If he had a working heart, it would be beating like crazy. If he could blush, his face would be on fire. Did he really love Alfred? It hadn't even been that long since he met him…how does a person fall in love with another person after only knowing them for a week? It sounded so illogical and farfetched, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel it was true.

Alfred….he loved Alfred. Realization swept over Ivan like a bucket of cold water.

Alfred blinked in confusion as they suddenly began slowing to a halt. Ivan had this stunned expression on his face like he had an epiphany. His plum colored eyes were widened into shock, mouth slightly lax and open. Alfred frowned in concern as he peered into Ivan's eyes with his confused blue eyes. He took his cold hand, he really should have worn gloves here, off Ivan's forearm and waving it front of the Russian's face. "Earth to Ivan, what's the problem dude? You okay?" Alfred asked in a puzzled tone.

Ivan snapped out of his shocked and dazed state. He realized that they were completely stopped on the ice now and Alfred was sending him a worried look. "I…I was in deep though. Sorry about that, Alfred." He laughed, but it wasn't his usual laugh. It was unsure and nervous sounding. Ivan all of a sudden felt very self-conscious of himself. That was bad, considering he usually never gave a shit about what others though about him. "D-Do you want to keep skating? Or do you want to stop for the day?"

Alfred gave a slightly relieved smile as Ivan appeared to have snapped out of his trance. "I could see that. No need to apologize big guy." Alfred laughed a bit, Ivan seemed to be a bit ...off today and Alfred couldn't explain why. "Well, I don't mind either way. If you're tired or something, we could take a break or do something else. I asked ya out, so we'll do what you wanna do." At Ivan's sudden self-conscious behavior, Alfred felt himself become nervous. Maybe he was doing something wrong? It's been a while since he's been on a date, so he wouldn't put it past him to be screwing something up...

"If you're okay with leaving…" Ivan spoke uneasily. "What about your friends? Will they be coming with us, or is the day over for them?" Ivan turned to stare at Francis and Arthur who were sitting in the stands of the rink. They seemed to be done with ice-skating for the moment. "I'm really fine with anywhere you want to go. I honestly can't think of any other place." Ivan ran through the list of places he and Alfred had been: their usual spot at the café, the park, walking around the city…where else could they go?

Alfred turned his head as well and looked at the arguing and resting couple on the stands. He chuckled at the familiar scene. Alfred nodded at Ivan's admittance to not knowing where to go, looking up in thought he licked his lips. After a few seconds of mulling things over, Alfred's blue eyes brightened as he got an idea. "We could go to the library!" Alfred suggested with an enthusiastic grin. The library was relaxing, quiet and had a private feel to it. Maybe it'll help Ivan relax again? Alfred could show Ivan the wonders and laughs reading Shakespeare in an over dramatic fashion, as well as how funny reading old "romance" novels was, especially when they could laugh about how odd or cliché the plots, descriptions, and dialog was or how the words penis and vagina were never used. And Alfred wouldn't admit it but he really wanted Ivan to read poetry again, especially in Russian.

"The library?" The place had crossed through his mind once or twice, but he never considered actually going there. A library, after all, was relatively unorthodox for a date. But then again, Alfred did have an impeccable love for literature. "What about your friends? Are they coming with us?" Ivan thought about what it would be like reading about French Romanticism with Francis around. Going by what Alfred said about the Frenchman, Ivan shuddered at the idea. He wasn't sure he'd be able to hold himself back if Francis tried groping him or Alfred.

Alfred grinned at Ivan's acceptance of his idea, but then he thought about Ivan's question. He kinda didn't want Francis around if Alfred was going to have some laughs with Ivan over old "romance" novels. The American just knew that the Frenchman would make dirty and perverted remarks the entire time. He also knew Ivan would be uncomfortable with Arthur around. At the same time, he also didn't want to be rude to his friends since he invited them to the double date. After some consideration, Alfred came to the only conclusion he could think of. Shrugging he answered Ivan. "Well, I'll ask 'em if they want to come. If they don't want to, I won't force them. But I also won't shoo them off, 'cause that would be rude. Hope you don't mind." Alfred smiled hesitantly up at Ivan, hoping that his answer satisfied the Russian.

"That's fine with me." It would make Ivan uncomfortable and on edge having the other two vampires around, but he wouldn't brush Alfred's friends off either. If he wanted them around and it made him happy, then Ivan wouldn't interfere. He feared that he may have interfered enough already… "I'll be at the exit waiting for you, okay?" Alfred gave him a nod and Ivan exited the rink and returned to the locker room. He untied his skates and retrieved his old shoes. Setting the skates on the bench, he sighed and rested his head in his hands. How did he get himself into this mess? Alfred was just supposed to be another good meal or a possible fuck. Not his…lover…if they could each go that far with each other. He still held the undeniable attraction to the other's blood, but instead of wanting to hurt him, now he wanted to please the other. Could he just leave now and disappear from Alfred's life? That seemed like the more logical thing to do. Then again, Ivan was never much of a logical person…he did as he pleased, and although this "relationship" he was forming with Alfred was both wonderful and painful in a way, he wasn't going to walk out on the blonde. Alfred had already suffered enough, and Ivan wasn't going to contribute to the blonde's heartbreak.

Taking the skates back to the counter, Ivan took a seat in one of the chairs by the entrance. It was around 4-5 PM now and the sun was still out. He wasn't going to torture himself by waiting outside.

Alfred told Francis and Arthur of their plans, and offered for them to come along if they wanted. Arthur looked like was going to accept, but Francis interrupted saying how they needed to get started on preparing their dinner. Francis gave Alfred a knowing wink as he thanked the blonde for inviting them on this fun trip, to which Alfred smiled back appreciatively and thanked them for coming. As they parted ways, Alfred laughed as he heard Arthur beginning to yell at Francis, and headed to the locker room to take of the skates and grab his things. When he had everything and had put his skates away, he headed out to the entrance.

A couple minutes earlier, Francis and Arthur had made their way to the entrance, Francis stopping where Ivan was sitting. Francis addressed the Russian with a serious look in his normally light hearted blue eyes. "Ivan, me and Arthur won't interfere with your relationship with Alfred. So long as he seems happy, and you continue treating him like you have been...Alfred is a magnanimous person, and as you've seen, he is able to defend himself. He is still able to be easily taken advantage of, so don't mistreat him, or me and Arthur will interfere." With that he allowed his serious expression fade into a teasing smirk. "That aside, be gentle with him, oui? Alfred is, as they say, a 'back-door' virgin. Ohonhonhon~" With that he left a slightly gaping Ivan to his own devises as he pulled an equally gaping and flustered Arthur with him, sputtering on how Francis could talk about that to that wanker.

Well that had been some surprising information for Ivan. Alfred had told him that he had a boyfriend, so he had assumed...and that night they had together! He couldn't even tell. Then again, as Francis put it, that just included men. He was sure that Alfred must have been in a couple relationships with women before. No one started off that good, anyway. Well that just made things a lot more complicated than they needed to be. Ivan could have seriously hurt the other. Alfred's word the day after suddenly made sense in Ivan's mind. That was the reason he was glad they didn't have sex. He was saving himself for someone…and apparently, that someone wasn't Ivan.

Once again drowning himself in his personal woes, Ivan failed to notice Alfred coming towards him from the counter. He stared down at the carpeted floor, suddenly finding the maroon carpet interesting. At the sound of Alfred's voice, Ivan looked up with a flat expression on his face. "Hmm?"

Alfred snorted and rolled his eyes playfully as he stood in front of Ivan. "I asked if you were ready to go. You okay? You've been a bit spacey today." Alfred asked with a small frown of concern. Really, usually Ivan would have noticed Alfred approaching before Alfred even saw the Russian! It was starting to concern Alfred, especially since Ivan looked so... melancholy or severe. Almost like he was taking a big risk and was weighing the consequences. In an attempt to cheer up the Russian, as awful as he felt saying it, Alfred continued. "Arthur and Francis said they weren't coming, something about getting or making dinner. So we'll be pretty much alone now."

Making dinner. Ivan scoffed internally. That was pretty much vampire talk for cornering an unsuspecting couple in the middle of the night. "Sorry. I didn't…sleep too well last night. You have to forgive me." Well, it was true in a sense. He had been thinking about a lot of stuff lately. "Ah…I suppose we should go now, da?" Ivan stood up from his seat and pushed open the rink's door. He was immediately hit with the waning October sun. At least sunset came a lot quicker around this time of the year. "So Alfred," Ivan began, deciding that it would be best to try and initiate conversation with the blonde before he became too concerned. Ivan felt a tad guilty that he'd spent so much time of their date drowning himself in guilt and sorrow. He must have been making Alfred feel like a piece of shit. Way to go, Ivan thought snappily once again. "I'm sorry." Ivan spoke suddenly, stopping and turning to Alfred. He sent the blonde the best smile he could manage. "I must be killing your mood with my attitude. I promise I won't act so sullen anymore, okay?"

Alfred followed Ivan out of the rink, "No, there's no need to apologize Ivan. I can sorta understand what ya mean about having trouble sleeping." Considering the fact that his nightmares have been bugging him all week. The freakiest part was that they kept getting more and more detailed, as if slowly revealing something to Alfred. Alfred felt a shiver run down his spine at the bits and pieces of the dream he remembered. He would like it though if Ivan lightened up and enjoyed himself more. Alfred didn't like seeing him so sullen. Soon, they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Alfred though kept feeling his hand twitch every time he eyed Ivan's hand. He really wanted to hold Ivan's hand...but at the same time, he felt hesitant to just grab it. This made Alfred frown a bit. What was wrong with him? Usually he just sorta went for it. He wasn't usually such a nervous and timid person. So trying to push his inhibitions aside he hesitantly asked, "Um...Ivan?" His voice came out more uncertain then he liked, but he continued when he saw Ivan look at him from the corner of his eyes. Blushing very lightly he asked, "Can I hold your hand?"

Ivan paused for a moment before nodding. "Of course you can. You don't have to ask. I didn't ask to you kiss you, right?" The memory warmed Ivan considerably. It had been sweet and chaste and he found himself wanting to do it again. But it seemed a little too soon for that. He saw Alfred hesitantly reached out and grab his left hand. His fingers laced with Ivan's and he was once again met with the warm, soft contact of Alfred's skin. Even his hands were soft.

Alfred smiled lightly as he remembered the sweet kiss. Slowly, he intertwined their fingers. "True, but still...just felt like I should ask." Alfred was happy that Ivan didn't refuse him, and he liked the feel of Ivan's larger and cooler hand wrapping around his own. It felt reassuring...so with his confidence back, Alfred began his usual blabber that ranged from what he eat the night before, to college woes, super heroes, literature, and anything under the sun. They walked the rest of the way to the public library in comfortable conversation. Alfred could practically Ivan's previous tension melt away as they talked and laughed.

"Oh, Romeo, Romeo! Where art thou Romeo?" Alfred called out dramatically, in a quiet voice of course since they were in the library. After arriving at the library, they had quickly found a nice secluded reading space. It was a small reading nook with two bean bag chairs, a small stand with a plastic potted plant, outlet, small book shelf with random kids' books, and a reading lamp in the corner. Alfred had told Ivan to save their spot while Alfred got some books. Alfred came back five minutes later with a giant stack of them. He'd grabbed a couple plays from Shakespeare, a random assortment of various "romance novels", both old and new, as well as some Russian poetry books hidden within the stack. When Alfred explained what they were going to do, Ivan had seemed skeptical of how this could be fun. After some coaxing from Alfred though, he played along as the American handed him a copy of Romeo and Juliet , and ten minutes later they were both laughing at each other's intentional over dramatic and bad acting skills.

"Okay, okay…" Ivan chided while still laughing. He held his side, trying to quell the laughter that seemed to not want to go away. "Alright, that's enough. Unless you want one of us to have an accident." If reading Romeo and Juliet was this funny, he wasn't sure how he'd hold up to the "romance novels". Finally settling himself down, he asked Alfred, "Okay, what's next?" He really hoped the blonde didn't pick the "romance novels". He wasn't sure he'd be able to handle himself. Ivan sorted through the books a bit before one caught his eye. He picked it up, reading the title. "100 Techniques to Spice of Your Love Life." The title sounded awfully corny, especially coming from him of all people. Laughing a little, he flipped it open to a random page. It showed a picture of a illustrated couple. One of them was restrained to a bed with handcuffs with a spreader bar between their legs. The other was dressed up in some gaudy S&M getup with a leather whip in their hand. Ivan immediately turned the page, not wanting to linger on the last one. He looked up from the book and saw Alfred looking intently at him. "W-What?"

Alfred was staring at Ivan and the book. It looked both cheesy and interesting at the same time. "...Find anything interesting? Or is it all corny stuff like, 'true adding scented candles to add to the sensory experience'." Not that Alfred didn't find the stereotypical romantic sex scene with rose petals, candles, soft music, and maybe some strawberries with whipped cream nice. Actually, the closet romantic in him found the idea appealing, even though he knew for a fact he usually enjoyed rougher sex.

Craning his neck from his spot on the bean bag he claimed, he attempted to get a better look at the pages Ivan was flipping through. After a couple seconds of straining his neck to look, Alfred huffed and moved from his comfy spot and sat on the ground next to Ivan's chair. Leaning over it he used his arms to support himself as he leaned his head next to Ivan's shoulder, looking at the book.

"Not exactly…but some of it is rather cliché and corny." Ivan rapidly flipped through the pages, afraid he'd see something else that'd tickle his fancy. The last thing he needed to do was fantasize about tying Alfred up and fucking him senseless. It would also be painfully hard to hide the obvious hard on he'd get from it too. Most of it was creative, awkward looking sex positions and an array of toys. Ivan must have been flipping too fast for Alfred because the book was promptly ripped out of his hands by the American. With Alfred's head still resting on his shoulder, Ivan watched as the student began flipping slowly throughout the book. Logic told him that he should look away, but he couldn't rip his eyes away from the sight. Alfred reading an erotic piece of literature was surprisingly a major turn on.

As Alfred flipped through the pages, a blush steadily spread and intensified with each page he looked at. Some of these positions, tips, and toys really hit some of his kinks. After a couple minutes, Alfred closed the book and put it down. His pants had started to become a smidgen too tight. He didn't want to continue imagining Ivan throwing him down on a bed and proceeding to use one of the plethora of toys he saw in the book, less he get a raging hard on.

Alfred cough awkwardly into his fist and asked, "So, uh, watcha wanna do now? Wanna read the romance novels now, or do something else?"

After that book, Ivan wasn't sure he'd be able to stand up with any dignity. And trying to read those "romance novels", no matter how corny they really were, probably wouldn't help the situation any more. Looking up at the clock in the library, it read about 7:30 PM. "Actually, it's getting kind of late in the evening and the library is closing in 30 thirty minutes." Ivan pointed up to the clock. It was already pitch dark outside, too. "Do you want me to walk you home, or are you taking a cab?"

Alfred blinked owlishly. Had they really been here that long? Glancing toward the clock, he frowned in disappointment. He wanted Ivan to at least one poem from the poetry books he got. That was one of the main reasons he dragged Ivan here! He was a man on a mission and he wasn't leaving until he heard the taller man recite some Russian poetry damn it. With a small huff of annoyance to their limited time, he answered the Russian's question, "Um, well I was planning on walking. You're welcome to walk me to my dorm if it isn't too out of your way. Before we leave though...could ya read one more thing out loud? Pretty please? I swear it's not porn dude." As an extra precaution to ensure he got what he wanted, Alfred used his ultimate weapon. The puppy-dog pout. Alfred looked up at Ivan with a slightly pouting lower lip, with wide and deceptively innocent blue eyes and making an almost pitiful whining sound. On the inside though, he was daring Ivan to say no to this face.

Ivan glanced back forth between Alfred's adorably sad face and the clock. Finally, he sighed and held out his hand, waiting for Alfred to place whatever it is he wanted him to read in it. "Fine. Hand it to me."

Alfred's face immediately morphed into a victorious grin as he turned to the pile of books he got and sifted through them. He let out a pleased hum as he finally found one of the poetry books. Taking it, he turned back to Ivan and placed it in his out stretched hand. Resting his head on the Russian's shoulder again, he looked up expectantly. "I don't care which poem you read. Any is fine with me." He smiled up at the Russian, pleased that he got what he wanted. Alfred liked the smooth way Ivan read the lines, his voice still lower in tone and a bit harsher as he spoke Russian. It gave the sunshine blonde pleasant chills. Not to mention the beauty of the poetry as it's read in its original language, the words seemed to flow much better than translated versions.

Ivan took the book and began flipping through the pages. He felt Alfred rest his head on his shoulder once again and resisted the urge to turn his head and place a kiss to the other's forehead. He forced his lips to stay in a neutral expression, but a smile was quickly forming there. Finally finding a decent poet and poem to read, Ivan recited aloud the poet and the name of the poem. "This was Pushkin's views of St. Petersburg in the 19th Century. You should know this one, Alfred." After all, the blonde had mentioned Pushkin during one of their conversations in the café. He should recognize this poem. The poem was written in English, but Ivan was sure he could translate it back into Russian smoothly. He sort of had the poem memorized a little. Taking a deep breath, he began reading the lines in Russian, his voice low and smooth and full of clarity. The words and verses flowed off of his tongue easily, and before he knew it, he was reciting the last stanza to Alfred. He finished quietly like he always did, letting his voice flow off like an ink pen on paper. Looking over at Alfred, he closed the book. "Happy?" He asked with a teasing smile.

Alfred listened to Ivan's baritone voice, the Russian words stringing together naturally, and followed along with the English translation in the book, able to match the words with Ivan's flow. Alfred let out a soft and happy sigh as Ivan's voice trailed off at the end. Looking up and grinning in appreciation, Alfred answered truthfully. "Very." His smile took on a teasing edge as he continued, blue eyes sparkling in mischief. "You sound super sexy speaking Russian, even if it's a commie language." He winked at the end to let Ivan know he was just messing with him with the commie comment. Ivan just snorted and rolled his eyes, flicking Alfred's nose a bit and causing the American to laugh as he hoisted himself up. Reaching down to help Ivan out of the comfy bean bag chair, he asked, "You ready to go big guy?"

"Da." Ivan replied simply, still secretly pleased that Alfred loved his voice so much. They exited the library and began walking along the brightly lit sidewalk of the street. The city was still alive and buzzing since it was only eight, and the sounds of cars and people chatting amongst each other surrounded them. On their way to Alfred's dorm, they passed a couple of night clubs and bars that had lines of people waiting outside to get in. Ivan would probably swing back around to one of those bars after he dropped Alfred off to catch his dinner. Even though he'd drank the night before, he found himself once again craving a good drink. As much as he'd like to push Alfred down on his dorm bed and sink his fangs into the other, he knew it wouldn't do too good for their date or their relationship in general. Sure, he could just erase Alfred's memories of him ever feeding on him, but it would be a newfound source of guilt for Ivan later on. No…he promised himself that he wouldn't force Alfred into doing those types of things anymore.

They finally made it to Alfred's dorm after a while of walking. Ivan stood outside while Alfred fumbled around for his keys. A quick "Aha!" from Alfred and in no less than 5 seconds, the door to his dorm was open. Ivan waited, not sure of what to say to end the date. Goodnight? Thank you? Did you have fun? He decided to wait until Alfred said something to speak.

Alfred shuffled awkwardly as he waited for Ivan to say something. After a minute of standing awkwardly and looking at each other expectantly, Alfred realized that Ivan was waiting for him to say something. With a sigh, Alfred gathered his courage and took Ivan's scarf in a firm, but gentle grip and lightly tugged the Russian down to meet his lips. This kiss was a couple seconds longer than the one in the rink, allowing Alfred to really feel Ivan's firm, but smooth lips on his as he kept the kiss sweet and slow. Pulling back, Alfred licked his lips slightly, a soft pink blush on his cheeks and a bashful smile. "I uh, I had a good time Ivan. And despite how spacey you were, I hope you had a good too...it would suck if you didn't." Alfred laughed nervously and continued, looking at the ground for a second and biting his lips before glancing back up at Ivan. "We could do this again, soon. I-If ya wanna of course." He mumbled scratching his chin sheepishly.

Ivan smiled at Alfred's apparent blush, not missing how the blonde's tongue flicked out to quickly swipe across his lips. He wished he could have tasted more of Alfred, but this seemed to be the limit for tonight. "I had a wonderful time, Alfred. Today was the most fun I've had in quite a while. I would love it if we could do this again soon." Deciding that maybe he should do something on his part, Ivan reached out and pulled Alfred into a gentle hug. The blonde's golden hair brushed against his face and his scent wafted up into his nose. A pleasant shiver ran up Ivan's spine. "Goodnight. And thank you for the date. Will I see you tomorrow?" He looped a blonde lock around one of his fingers, his hand playfully carding through Alfred's sunshine colored hair. His other hand rested gently against Alfred's back.

Alfred felt his blush spread and darken to a brighter pink at the embrace. Alfred let out a small laugh and wrapped his arms around Ivan's wide torso, "I'm glad to hear that dude. And yeah! I'll see ya for lunch at the café right? I have classes, so I'll be there for lunch." Alfred couldn't help but think about how Ivan playing with his hair felt nice. A bit reluctantly, Alfred broke the comfortable embrace, and leaned up slightly to peck Ivan's cheek. "'Night big guy." He mumbled as he drew back. He watched Ivan blink in slight shock for a second before a small smile spread on his face. Nodding, Ivan turned to leave, and Alfred smiled and waved at his back until he disappeared down another hall. Alfred let out a held breath as he entered his room and closed his door. Alfred couldn't help the giddy smile that spread on his own face as changed into his PJ's, picked out a book, and flopped down on his bed. Alfred couldn't have been happier with the date. Even if Ivan had been acting strange, they both had a good time and Alfred was starting to really enjoy Ivan's company. The Russian was a bit intimidating and awkward in the sense that he sometimes didn't understand boundaries, but at the same time there something undeniably sweeter than what he showed with his cold exterior. He was certainly suave in a sense. At the same time though, he was bumbling when it came to romance at times. Alfred really just liked Ivan, once he got to know him a bit more. Alfred didn't know what could come of their budding romance and friendship, but he couldn't deny that he was starting to fall for the strange Russian. With this, Alfred looked at the clock and yawned, ready for bed after his enjoyable afternoon and evening. Maybe he wouldn't have that nightmare tonight? One could certainly hope.


	8. Complications

"Stupid, ignorant fools." Natalia seethed as should gazed down at the beheaded and bloody bloodies of the vampires. She'd caught wind of Ivan being here not too long ago. It had been a couple months since his departure, but it was the closest lead she had had to him for over a century. Natalia had sought out the vampire coven that made their home in Venice, Italy, and had promptly demanded they tell her where Ivan went off to. Of course, they lied to her, most likely told by Ivan not to relay his whereabouts to others or else. Little did they know, Natalia was just as dangerous and intimidating as Ivan, and she often had a knack for carrying out her threats right away. So now here she was, once again standing over a pile of dead vampires who refused to reveal Ivan's location to her. Natalia went to turn away until she heard the sick, bubbling sound of someone trying to talk around blood in their mouth. Whipping around quickly, her long, light blonde hair whipping in her face, she turned her deep blue eyes onto the source of the sound. A barely alive vampire lay on the ground, obviously trying to crawl away to safety before Natalia noticed he was still alive. Flash-stepping quickly over to him, she grabbed him by the head of the hair and yanked him up painfully. "A last survivor, I see? Tell me, vampire…have you seen my precious Ivan?" She seethed Ivan's name, the sound of it dripping off her tongue like venom.

"I-I can't t-tell you! H-He promised…he promised he'd c-come back and kill us if any of us d-did!" He yelled in pain as Natalia gave his hair yet another painful jerk. She loomed over him, a wicked smile on her face and violence dancing in her eyes. "N-No, please! Please don't kill me, please!"

"You know what I want to hear." The Belarusian vampire hissed. She aimed her sharp nails at the Italian vampire's throat, threatening to behead him if he didn't spill the information.

"NO! PLEASE, I'LL TELL YOU! Just…just don't kill me, please!" Natalia hesitated for a second before dropping her hand. She kept a grip on the bloody vampire's hair. "He stopped in Venice for a while…a-a couple months ago. He stayed a bit with our coven. He said he wanted to see how we lived together, and he was relatively harmless about the matter….that is, until it was time for him to leave." The Italian's voice grew grimmer as he went on. "He told us that he'd kill our entire coven if we told anyone which direction he was heading…he was only one vampire, but we could all see that he was very powerful. He was much older than us, too. He could have slaughtered us all right there." Natalia gazed down at him with a dull expression, her patience beginning to wear thing. The Italian vampire noticed this and immediately continued. "H-He went west! I'm not sure exactly where he was going, but he was heading west! He could be anywhere…Germany, England, Spain, Portugal…I'm not sure…" Natalia smiled, glad to have the information she wanted. She felt giddy with this new info and wanted to act on it immediately. "A-Are you going to spare me now?" The Italian looked up with a hopeful smile, his teeth and fangs bloody from the beating.

Natalia's wicked smiled didn't falter. "Thank you very much for this information. You have helped me out substantially. Was that so hard?" She asked in a sweet voice before placing both hands on the vampire's head and twisting until it ripped clean off. She tossed the globed limp to the side before standing up and dusting off her jacket and dress. So Ivan was going west, hmm? She'd search all of Western Europe if that's what it took to get revenge for what he did to her all those centuries ago. Ivan was never supposed to leave her…never. The whole point of changing him was to have him be with her forever. She'd been infatuated with him since she'd laid eyes on him in that wheat field. He had such incredibly beautiful features as a human, and as a vampire, he was stunning. He'd been docile those first couple years, but after THAT incident, he'd slowly began to rebel. A couple decades later, and he'd all out attacked Natalia, spouting nonsense about freedom and what not before taking off and leaving Natalia barely alive. She'd been surprised by Ivan's strength at the time. He was still young for a vampire and had managed to match her strength head on. She knew that now, he'd be even harder to deal with, but she had also grown much stronger over the centuries.

Quickly flash-stepping out of the monastery that the Italian vampires had run, Natalia began her journey west of Venice. Ivan's debt was long overdue, and the Russian vampire had hell to pay to his creator.

-x-

Soon fall had turned into winter, and many things had changed since Ivan and Alfred's first rather shaky meeting. They'd been officially dating for a month and a half now, and during that time, their relationship grew. They had been on many dates; the movies, skating rink and library being their main destinations. They still met at lunch in the café when Alfred had class, and Ivan always made sure to visit or at least pick Alfred up from work when he didn't have class and was working the café. On weeks they couldn't go out because of Alfred doing an assignment or studying for a test, Ivan would come over to his dorm and help the sunshine blonde anyway he could. There were also days when Ivan just didn't feel like interacting with humankind or Alfred didn't want to go anywhere for a date. On those days they usually when to Ivan's flat and watched a movie or read or something and cuddled on the couch. Ivan found that Alfred really liked cuddling, and found himself enjoying it as well.

Francis and Arthur steadily grew used to Ivan, the former of the two even giving advice to the Russian on how to woo and romance Alfred. Arthur was still tense around Ivan, but was no longer outwardly hostile to him anymore...most of the time. And Alfred found himself falling harder for the Russian every day. He was right on the cusp at realizing he had fallen in love with Ivan, like Ivan had done with Alfred a month and a half ago.

Now this brings them to their current situation. It was mid-December and almost Christmas. It was Friday night, and Alfred and Ivan decided to just hang out at in Ivan's flat. They had just finished watching some cheesy romantic-comedy and were now having a rather nice make-out session on Ivan's couch. Over the past month and a half they had become quite comfortable with each other, sexually speaking. They had done everything from making out to blow jobs, but have still yet to have actual penetrative sex. Alfred was grateful for Ivan understanding that he just wasn't quite ready for that, and that it had nothing to do with Ivan himself. That didn't mean though that still didn't have a lot of fun without it though.

Ivan ran his tongue along Alfred's bottom lip, tasting and sucking it between his own before letting it go with a wet plop. From the way Alfred was seated on his lap, he could feel the blonde grinding down on his hardening cock, drawing forth moans and gasps from him. He grabbed Alfred's hips and bucked up roughly, making the other whimper a bit in barely suppressed pleasure. He focused his lips on Alfred's neck, sucking on the tan skin and peppering kisses all along it. It was hard at first, what with the temptation of Alfred's blood being right there in front of him, but Ivan had grown used to that temptation. It was still there, it's just that he learned to have a lot more self-control around Alfred. A couple times, he found himself almost baring his fangs against the other's neck and quickly reprimanded himself for doing so. He couldn't use his teeth in his kisses and it was strange trying to keep Alfred's tongue from brushing against the razor sharp fangs, but he'd managed thus far. Sucking the blonde's earlobe a little, he whispered out in a low voice. "What do you want to do tonight, Fredka~?" He'd taken to calling Alfred that now, in exchange for Alfred calling him Vanya. Ivan hadn't been called that name since she died.

Alfred shivered at the husky tone in Ivan's low whisper. He felt Ivan smirk against his ear as he felt the shiver his voice caused. Alfred in retaliation lowered his own head and began leaving light kisses around the part of Ivan's neck not covered by his scarf. Alfred had found out soon after their relationship began that Ivan's neck was extremely sensitive, and was littered with scars. Ivan wouldn't tell Alfred where he got them from, or why he always wore that one scarf. Alfred didn't press for the information though, figuring Ivan would tell him when he was ready.

Alfred gave his own smirk as he heard Ivan give a low moan and another buck of his hips into Alfred's clothed ass. Alfred gasped a bit in pleasure at the buck before mumbling against Ivan's neck. "Well...I could give ya a nice blow job...if you ask nicely that is~" Alfred pulled away from Ivan and gave him a deceptively innocent smile, his bright blue eyes shined in mischief though as wrapped his arms around Ivan's neck again and began grinding down on Ivan's member more.

"Ask…nicely?" Ivan breathed shakily, his violet eyes going half lidded. He felt his cock twitch at the mention of Alfred putting his lips on it. Leaning forward, he captured the blonde's lips in a hungry kiss and then released him. "Then please, oh sweet and beautiful Alfred, would you get on your knees and suck my cock?" The tone of Ivan's voice was sickly sweet, his words almost dripping with sugar. It was a strange mix, the crudeness of sex and his sweet, almost childish demeanor at times. Ivan knew that Alfred, while he liked to pretend he was creeped out by it, enjoyed Ivan's voice immensely.

Alfred rolled his eyes and playfully smacked Ivan's arm. "You're a dick. You're lucky I have an oral fixation." He snorted before returning Ivan's earlier kiss with a quick one. Wiggling out of Ivan's grip and off his lap he stood in front of Ivan and commanded with arms crossed, "Pants and boxers off big guy. Also, do ya wanna move to your room or stay here? I'm cool with either." Ivan stood up without hesitation and quickly dropped his pants and underwear as he hummed in though, considering Alfred's question.

"Mmm, here is good. I'm feeling rather lazy at the moment." Ivan laughed lightly and settled back down on the couch. "I rather like the sight of you on your knees." He teased, flicking the blonde's untamable cowlick playfully. He didn't mean any harm by it. He just loved rustling Alfred's jimmies. Ivan watched as the blonde got down on his knees in front of the couch and placed his hands on the inside of Ivan's thighs. Ivan smiled as Alfred sent him a glare. His smile morphed into a smirk as he watched the other gawk at his semi-hard cock. Alfred's tongue swiped out and caressed his bottom lip, as if he couldn't wait to get it inside his mouth. Letting out a low chuckle, Ivan asked in an airy voice. "You always do that whenever we do stuff like this."

Alfred blushed at the comment. With a scowl that was almost a pout he mumbled, "Do not." Leaning forward, he poked his tongue out to slowly drag it from the base to the tip of Ivan's member. Ivan let out a shaky moan at the teasing lick and curled his toes in slightly as Alfred planted a kiss at the tip before taking his member slowly into his mouth. Alfred took just about as much as he could of Ivan's hardening cock in his mouth, a little over half, and began alternating between licking and sucking. His tongue ran over Ivan's underside and traced the veins before adding a soft suction that got harder as he hollowed out his cheeks and bobbed his head. Alfred soon felt Ivan's large hand card through his hair as he moaned and gasped in pleasure, softly tugging at golden locks as Alfred used one hand to stroke what his mouth couldn't take in and fondly Ivan's balls. Moaning lowly around the engorged cock in his mouth at Ivan's soft tugging and the noises coming out of the Russian, Alfred also slowly got harder.

"Mmmm, yes~" Ivan moaned out sweetly, running his fingers through Alfred's hair. He relaxed further into the couch, slumping a little as Alfred teased his cock with his mouth. Violet eyes shuddered closed as he listened to the blonde hungrily lap and suck at his cock, a warm, lazy smile making its way onto Ivan's face. "You're wonderful at this, you know?" He drawled out, Russian accent much thicker in the throes of pleasure. "Your mouth feels amazing, Alfred~" Ivan let his head loll back against the couch as his lips parted for a low moan. "Yessss…"

Alfred moaned lowly as well, a pleasant shiver running down his spine at the sweet, yet dirty compliments. Soon Alfred felt pre-cum build up at the tip of Ivan's cock. Pulling up his head a bit, Alfred swirled his tongue around the tip, collecting the beads of pre-cum. He sank back down, sucking hard as he bobbed his head and feeling as Ivan tensed up. It wasn't long after that that Ivan moaned out loudly as he released into Alfred's mouth, hand tightening his grip in Alfred's hair. Alfred relaxed his throat as he drank all of Ivan down. Coming off with a wet pop, and wiping off the strand of saliva connecting his bottom lip to Ivan's tip, Alfred felt the hand in his hair relax and slip off. Alfred got up off his knees and straddled Ivan's lap again and pulled him in for a long, slow kiss, allowing Ivan to come down from his high.

Ivan felt warm all over, body relaxing and buzzing with his post-orgasmic high. He felt Alfred nipping at his lips, sucking them between his own and pressing his warm, sweet tasting tongue into Ivan's mouth. The platinum haired vampire reciprocated the slow, passionate kiss, running his hands up Alfred's sides underneath his shirt. The blonde shivered under his touch, body inching closer and pressing tighter against Ivan's. Ivan could feel Alfred's erection through his clothing, poking him insistently in the stomach. Pulling away from the kiss with dampened lips, Ivan caught the other's blue eyed gaze in his own amethyst one. "Now…what would little Alfred like for me to do to him tonight?" Ivan reached down between them, palming the blonde's hard cock through his clothing and causing Alfred to buck up into his touch and whimper impatiently. Ivan kissed the corner of Alfred's mouth, murmuring sweetly. "You make such cute noises~"

Alfred mumbled, "'M not little or cute." Then let out a low whine as Ivan continued to palm him through his pants. Pressing against the palm that was rubbing his hard on, Alfred panted out. "I-I don't care, do whatever. J-Just do something!" Ivan knew his limits so he trusted the Russian not to take advantage of that statement. Ivan trailed his lips from the corner of Alfred's mouth to his temple, giving it a soft kiss as he popped the button off the American's jeans and unzipped his pants. Alfred let out a low appreciative moan at the release of pressure on his straining member.

"You certainly look and sound little and cute whenever you whine for me like that." Ivan teased, sliding Alfred's jeans and boxers down his legs and off his body. He grabbed the blonde's hard cock and gave it a few teasing pumps, eliciting a soft gasp from him. Pulling Alfred down for a kiss, he continued pumping Alfred's straining member slowly, enjoying the string of wanton moans and mewls it brought forth from him. Pulling away from their slow kiss with a small nip from his front teeth, Ivan reached into the pocket of his coat and brought out a bottle of lube. At the wide-eyed and almost panicky look he received from Alfred, he quickly clarified what he was doing. "We're not having sex. You know I wouldn't force that onto you." Alfred's expression lightened a little at this news, but he still had a confused look plastered on his face. "Have you ever been fingered before?" Ivan asked casually, unable to stop the small smile from appearing on his face.

Alfred's eyes lit up in understanding before he blushed a bit and nodded slightly. "Erm...yeah. I mean, I've fingered myself experimentally a few times." Alfred admitted. He then gave a small and sincere smile. Leaning down a bit he kissed Ivan cheek before whispering. "Thank you Ivan...it means a lot that you're being so patient with me. I know it must be frustrating." It really did mean a lot to Alfred that Ivan wasn't pressuring him into having sex and that he was waiting until Alfred was comfortable enough to give that last bit of self-consciousness up. It showed that Ivan respected Alfred, and cared for his happiness, even if just a little.

"You don't have to thank me." Ivan reciprocated the kiss with one of his own. He kissed Alfred's lips quickly and softly before pressing him slowly down onto the couch. Crawling his way between Alfred's legs, he cupped the blonde's face and pressed their foreheads together. "And you're not frustrating me. You're tempting me greatly with this pretty little body of yours, but you're not frustrating me. You'll never be a burden to me, Alfred. Never." Drawing Alfred into a heated kiss, Ivan grabbed his hips and ground himself down hard onto Alfred's aching member. He felt Alfred moan against his lips and knew the other was getting impatient with his teasing. Separating from the kiss, Ivan grabbed the bottle of lube and slicked up 3 of his fingers. He trailed a damp, slick digit across Alfred's cock and down to his bottom, sinking it into him easily and slowly. Ivan heard Alfred breathily exhale. Alfred had propped himself up on his elbows, wanting to look down and see what Ivan was doing to him. "If it hurts or you want me to stop, just tell me." He slowly began pivoting his slicked up finger in and out of Alfred, his violet eyes watching Alfred's face for his reactions.

"'M not little." Alfred huffed, feeling his cheeks once again heat up at Ivan's words. His own words, however, were momentarily forgotten as he drew in a sharp breath at the slowly intruding finger. The finger was thrusting in and out slowly, going in a bit deeper into Alfred's hole with each thrust. Ivan's fingers were definitely thicker than his own. Alfred breathed out a soft, "O-Okay." at Ivan's instructions. At first the finger was a bit uncomfortable, but Alfred knew that feeling would pass soon. After a few more thrusts of the single digit, Alfred had become accustomed to the intruding finger and even found himself moaning softly at the feeling of finger rubbing at his tight and sensitive walls, looking for his sweet spot. The single digit soon found its mark, just barely brushing up against it, causing Alfred to arch a bit and press down on the finger. "A-Ah, there." Alfred gasped as his cheeks were flushed in arousal, blue eyes darkening in lust.

Ivan brushed his finger along Alfred's sweet spot once again, causing the blonde to throw his head back and moan. He jabbed at it softly, enjoying how with each stab of pleasure, Alfred's walls seemed to twitch around his finger. Nudging a second finger against his entrance, he pressed it in slowly to match the other, causing Alfred to hiss slightly at the intrusion. But he didn't tell Ivan to stop. If anything, he pressed his hips down, trying to bury Ivan's fingers to the knuckle. Ivan worked his fingers in and out of Alfred, pivoting them at a safe and gentle pace while the American let loose soft, breathy moans and whimpers beneath him. "Mm, you look so charming like this. All flushed and panting for me..." Ivan pressed his fingers in deep, brushing against Alfred's prostate and wringing forth a loud moan from him.

Alfred shivered and let out a soft mewl in response to Ivan's words, enjoying the dirty talk. Alfred's arms wrapped themselves around Ivan's back, digging in his nails slightly. He began rocking back and forth to meet Ivan's fingers, giving moans that were slowly increasing in volume as Ivan began curling his fingers into Alfred's prostate. Alfred moaned out a command, "Nnn~ Vanya, k-kiss me." He felt Ivan's lips slant over his in an open mouth kiss, tongue coaxing Alfred's into a heated dance. Alfred moans vibrated through their joined mouths.

Running his tongue along Alfred's and sucking on it lightly, Ivan slowed his fingers a bit, causing Alfred to whine at the small loss. He pressed a third finger against Alfred's hole, nudging it in little by little. He felt Alfred gasp against his lips, not used to having that many fingers inside him. Two must have been the limit for him, and Ivan's fingers were a little larger than Alfred's. Yet, Alfred didn't protest. He preoccupied himself with kissing down Ivan's neck instead. The Russian vampire moaned gently at the lips, teeth, and tongue assaulting his sensitive neck. Finally having fit all three fingers in, he began thrusting them gently in and out of Alfred, not wanting to force them in suddenly and cause the other pain. Ivan pressed his fingers in all the way to the knuckle, hearing Alfred moan loudly against his neck. He was rewarded with a long, languid lick along one of his scars, causing him to shudder and take in a shaky breath. "F-Fredka, a-ahh…" If Alfred wasn't careful, he'd end up getting Ivan hard again.

Alfred trailed his tongue up Ivan's neck, causing the other shiver and moan lowly. Reaching Ivan's ear, he nibbled on the lobe as Ivan's fingers slowly thrusts in and out. Moaning lowly, Alfred plead, "Faster, harder Ivan. I can handle it rough." Not that he wasn't enjoying the gentle and slow pace. Alfred just needed to get off now. He's cock was bright fiery red, and beads of pre-cum were dripping down his shaft, a coil of pressure and heat settling in his stomach at the pleasure of having his sweet spot teased. To emphasize his point he, Alfred rammed himself into Ivan's digits and hissed out a loud moan as he arched his back at the pleasure and bit of pain. His nails drug down Ivan's back slowly, leaving light scratches.

"I know you're tough." Ivan answered breathlessly. "I just like making you squirm a little~" He let his lips tug into a smirk, and was amused to find that Alfred had the dignity to stick his tongue out at him during a moment like this. Pivoting his fingers in and out of Alfred at a quicker pace, he continually jabbed them into the blonde's sweet spot. Alfred immediately turned into a panting and moaning mess, whispering out a string of pleads and obscenities. Ivan felt Alfred pushing his hips down to deepen the impact of his fingers. His cock twitched at the sight, already becoming aroused again just by the sight of Alfred writhing in pleasure. Ivan bit down on his bottom hip, trying to will the oncoming erection away. Knowing how they reacted to each other, he was surprised that he and Alfred hadn't gotten caught up in a cycle of trying to outdo each other yet. He wondered how they'd managed to stop before and go to bed. Shaking his current thoughts from his head, Ivan focused on fingering Alfred faster. He could feel the blonde's inside twitching around his fingers and tightening, a sign that he was about to cum. "Fredka~… Cum for me. Cum for Vanya."

Alfred tensed as Ivan's words pushed Alfred over the edge. Digging his nails into Ivan's back again, Alfred arched for a final time as he cried out, "V-Vanya!" The coil in his abdomen snapped, making pleasure course through his body as he came.

Alfred was panting heavily, face flushed and eyes half closed from pleasure as he laid under Ivan, slowly riding out his orgasm as Ivan pulled out his fingers and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling Alfred close. Ivan then leaned back so he was lying on the couch, using the arm rest as a pillow. Alfred laid on top of him, bathing in the afterglow of an orgasm as he nuzzled Ivan's chest. Alfred always enjoyed cuddling after doing stuff like this with Ivan. "Hmm, That was very good Ivan." Alfred hummed, completely sated.

Ivan ran a hand down Alfred's back, rubbing a soothing pattern there. "Anything for you, darling." Ivan said it as a joke. He knew his sweet talking and pet names always got to Alfred. As if on cue, he heard Alfred scoff at the endearment. "Well, you're still cute. So get over it." Ivan carded a hand through Alfred's slightly damp hair. The way they were laying had Alfred's head tucked under Ivan's chin. He pressed a kiss to the crown of golden hair, the soft strands brushing against his nose. He would comment on how sweet Alfred smelled, but he had learned earlier on that it creeped the other out a little. Ivan didn't blame Alfred. If he knew the entire truth behind Ivan's words, he'd be even more creeped out. Ivan noticed that Alfred was quiet in his arms, his breathing beginning to level out. Nudging the other slightly, Ivan asked. "Ready for bed?" Alfred gave him a noncommittal grunt, shifting a little. As they were both sitting up from the couch, Ivan heard Alfred's stomach rumble with hunger. "You might want to take care of that first though. Sleeping on an empty stomach isn't good." The Russian vampire watched as Alfred begrudgingly got up from the couch and stumbled his way sleepily into Ivan's kitchen. "Oh, and don't expect to find a bunch of junk food in there. I want you to eat healthy, you know." Before Alfred, Ivan had never kept food at his temporary homes. But he'd been sure to stock his cabinets full of food after they'd begin dating. It was hard to explain to Alfred why he hardly eat that much, but it seemed like the blonde bought Ivan's excuses. Thankfully.

Alfred snorted at the information and made his way to the kitchen. He looked through the fridge and cupboards trying to decide what he wanted to snack on. He finally just took an apple and some peanut butter, grabbing a small knife to skin the apple. Alfred yelled back at Ivan playfully. "Didn't think I'd be getting a mother too when I agreed to be your boyfriend." He meant the comment as a good natured jab and hoped Ivan would take it as such. As he began skinning the apple, he hummed to himself a little tune. Suddenly, the knife slipped a bit and cut his thumb. "Jesus, fuck!" Alfred cried as he dropped the knife and apple on the table, and checked on the wound. The cut itself wasn't deep, but it sure was bringing up a lot of blood. Cursing silently under his breath again he made a move to walk towards the sink to wash off his cut. A firm hand on his hip stopped the American, whipping his head around, startled at unexpected touch. His wide blue eyes relaxed as he saw it was just Ivan. He hadn't even heard the Russian approach. "Dude, don't startle me like tha-" He was cut off by Ivan grasping his injured hand gently, bringing the injured thumb to Ivan's eye level. Alfred blushed a bit and stuttered, "I-I'm fine big guy. Just a little cut."

Ivan had flash-stepped to Alfred as soon as the smell of his fragrant, rich blood wafted into the living room. On impulse, he immediately went to the source of it, eyes hungry and mouth salivating at the smell. He may have been able to deal with the temptation of biting or scratching Alfred, but whenever his blood was right out in the open, it was a whole different deal. Trying to think of something to support his actions, Ivan wet his lips and spoke without taking his eyes off the cut. "Let me…it…it will heal quicker this way." He brought the sliced finger to his part lips, closing them around the digit once the perimeter of the cut was in his mouth. He sucked gently, licking off the delicious liquid and loosing himself in the flavor of it. He hadn't tasted it since his second night of knowing Alfred, and they'd been together for a month and a half now. Ivan hummed contently, tilting his head a bit as his eyes fluttered closed. The cut was relatively clean of blood now, but Ivan didn't release Alfred's finger, instead waiting for more droplets of blood to build up on the wound. How strange he must have looked to Alfred there, acting and looking like a person sampling a fine, rare type of sweet wine. He didn't care at the moment though, too lost in Alfred's exotic and addicting flavor.

Alfred flushed at the gentle sucking and lapping on his thumb. Okay, so Ivan liked a bit of blood play. Alfred would keep that in mind. The blonde would admit though, he was enjoying the sensation of Ivan sucking on his thumb. It was sorta erotic in a way. Alfred unintentionally let out a soft and breathy moan as Ivan licked up the new beads of blood off his cut. This process continued on for a minute or so until Alfred cut stopped bleeding. Ivan pulled off Alfred's thumb with a final lick, the skin around the wound a bit red in irritation. The Russian noticed how Alfred's cheeks were once again dusted pink in slight arousal, eyes half-mast and breathing light and shaky. As Alfred's mind came back to him, his blush turned red and he looked away with embarrassed blue eyes. He forced a confident laugh and teased with a small stutter, "Haha, y-you like blood play? D-Didn't think you were so kinky!" It was obvious that though he was a little weirded out, Alfred enjoyed that little moment too, especially since he'd yet to take his injured hand away from Ivan's grasp.

Ivan could hear as well as sense the unease coming off of Alfred, though it was tinged with a small bit of arousal. Fearing that he'd crossed the line, Ivan quickly released Alfred's wrist and took a step back from him. Trying to remain casual, he asked with a smile. Are you ready for bed? I don't know about you, but I'm very tired from today." Ivan wasn't in the least bit fatigued. He just wanted to hurry up and get Alfred in bed before the blonde could pose any more questions on him.

Alfred pouted a bit, "Awww, but I'm still hungry! Can ya finishing cutting and skinning the apple while I put a band aid on my thumb?" Alfred asked, getting over his apprehension of that oddly arousing moment they had. It startled him a little, but it wasn't like having a blood play kink was that unusual. Not common, but not unusual either. Taking a step closer to Ivan, he added a "Please." Hoping the Russian would cut the apple and stuff for him.

Sighing, Ivan nodded and picked up the apple that was still lying on the table. He also picked up the knife as Alfred disappeared, studying the couple droplets of blood that was on it. Sliding the flat part of the blade across his tongue, Ivan savored the last bit of Alfred's blood that he thought he would have. He cleaned the blade of the red liquid and tossed it in the sink to be washed later. Going to the drawer and retrieving a fresh knife, he expertly and quickly peeled the skin off of the apple, slicing it into 4 pieces and salting each one lightly. Alfred came back into the kitchen just in time for Ivan to set the plate of fruit and peanut butter down, a band aid wrapped around his injured finger. "Everything okay?"

Alfred eyed the food hungrily, having left for the bathroom before Ivan had licked the knife. That would have certainly raised some questions, until Alfred chalked it up to a blood play kink again. Circling around the counter Ivan set the food on, Alfred hugged Ivan around the middle from behind and nuzzled into his back. "Yeah, my cut's good. By the way, it's sweet of you that you got Batman band aids for me!" Alfred held up his thumb for Ivan to see the black band aid with a yellow bat on it. As he grinned, Alfred then commented. "The apples look yummy! Thanks Vanya~!" The fastest way to Alfred's heart is through his stomach. Like a puppy, once you feed him you're forever in his favor. He unwrapped his arms and quickly devoured the apples, dipping them in the peanut butter. Once he finished and made sure all the peanut butter and apple juices on his face was gone, he turned to Ivan with a sleepy, yet content smile. "I'm ready to hit the hay now." Taking the Russian's hand he began walking towards Ivan' room.

They quickly settled into bed, spooning each other like they usually did. Alfred's limbs were tangled messily around Ivan, his arms and legs wrapped around the Russian in a death grip. Ivan didn't mind. He could lie there all night and simply pet and enjoy Alfred's nice scent. The warmth from the other always relaxed Ivan and made it all the more easier to pass the time. Ivan quickly learned that the other was prone to nightmares, having uneasy fitful phases of sleep every now and again. Alfred never told him what the nightmares were about, always saying that he had forgotten about them by the time he was fully awake. Tonight, it was different though. Tonight, the nightmare, whatever it was, returned tenfold. It had started out as some low whining on Alfred's part, a few mumbles of 'no's drifting from him here and there. They escalated, the blonde's voice rising with his panic as the nightmare progressed. Ivan gazed down worriedly at the other, wondering if he should try waking Alfred up now. It was only whenever the other started thrashing violently and whimpering that Ivan began to shake his shoulder, trying to wake him from his nightmare. Alfred's fear filled cries suddenly stopped, his voice trailing off into a soft moan. His body relaxed into the bed sheets, his lips parted in what seemed like pleasure. Ivan merely stared, unable to place what had just happened. One second Alfred was acting like he was being attacked. The next he was moaning as if he was having a wet dream. Turning his attention quickly to the clock, Ivan saw that it read 5AM. Alfred usually had his nightmares just before he woke up. This time, they were a little earlier. He inched closer to the blonde, waiting to see what his next reaction would be. Ivan gasped a bit as Alfred's blue eyes shot up in panic, the blonde wrenching himself up and almost off of the bed in one motion.

Alfred clenched his handd and curled up in a fetal position, drawing his knees too his chest and breathing heavily. He remembered, he remembered everything. Throughout the month Alfred's nightmares had become more and more vivid, slowly becoming clearer. Until tonight, he remembered it all; the dark alley, the flash of sharp razor fangs tearing into the soft flesh of his skin, the strong grip on him, the pain and agony, the eventual pleasure, but most importantly, violet eyes that were cold and cruel... Ivan's eyes. Despite remembering this, he couldn't believe it. It was ridiculous, it was impossible. Monsters in the night that preyed on the naïve and innocent weren't real ...right?

Alfred jumped a bit as he felt a strong pale arm try and encircle him in a comforting embrace. Ivan always cuddled and comforted Alfred after he had one of his nightmares. Scooting away from the embrace, a bit he felt the arms pause and draw back a bit, allowing Alfred to turn hysterical eyes to meet confused and apprehensive violet. Facing the Russian Alfred laughed a bit, trying to convince himself it was just a dream. "C-Crazy dream dude. I dreamed about that time you cornered me in the alley you were actually a vampire and began sucking my blood! C-Crazy right?" Ivan would laugh at him, right? Say he was watching too many horror movies, right? That it was only dream, right?

Alfred felt his mouth go dry and stomach drop in a nauseating and cold way when Ivan just stayed silent. His violet eyes widened and muscles tensed in shock. Not a 'well that was unexpected' shock, but rather a 'hitting the nail on the head' shock. "...Oh god...oh god no." Alfred whispered as the truth sank in and he shook his head, fear and panic welling in him as he repeated. "No no no nonononnonono!" Ivan seemed to snap out of it, violet eyes looking panicked as he reached out slightly for Alfred as the fearful blonde jumped off the bed and began backing away from Ivan.

"Alfred wait-" His out stretched hand was smacked away harshly by Alfred, who yelled out. "NO! Don't touch me, you asshole! What was this to you!? Was this all just a fucked up game to drink my blood then kill me!?" Slowly anger began to shine along with fear in Alfred's sapphire eyes.

Ivan looked at Alfred pleadingly, "No, Alfred listen-" he was slowly approaching the blonde so as not to startle him more, reaching out to draw Alfred into his arms again only for a fist to meet his cheek.

"NO, I won't listen to you! You'll only mess with my mind again you-you MONSTER!" Ivan stumbled back a bit from the physical blow, but mainly from the verbal blow Alfred just delivered. Turning quickly from momentarily stunned Russian, Alfred grabbed Texas from Ivan's nightstand and ran toward Ivan's entrance and out the door. His adrenaline was pumping as he ran through the streets of Paris in only his boxers, thankful that he had put those on before they went to bed. After a bout thirty minutes of nonstop running, Alfred made it to his dorm, panting desperately for breath as he collapsed on his bed. He cried softly into his pillow as all his feelings of fear, anger, and mostly hurt assaulted him. It all made sense now; Ivan being 'allergic' to the sun, his pale skin, unnatural beauty, his lack of eating, how he jumped all over Alfred's cut thumb. It all made sense now, and Alfred felt so betrayed because...he didn't let that train of thought finish and instead focused on his anger and fear. Eventually he cried himself into a fitful sleep.


	9. Epiphany

Ivan had failed.

He failed at winning Alfred's heart and was left feeling emptier than he'd ever felt before. Katyusha was nothing compared to this. Nothing was compared to this. The pain from Alfred's punch no longer hurt physically, but Ivan's heart felt as though it may rip in two. His chest felt incredibly heavy, as if he were lying underneath a pile of sandbags. Tears that he thought didn't exist welled in his eyes. Ivan tried blinking them away, but they fell anyway, dripping onto his bedroom floor with no sound. Ivan's chest hurt so badly. He wished he could just claw himself open and tear out whatever it was that was hurting him. But the source of the pain wasn't here. He was gone, and Ivan would never see him again. And if he ever did, it would be by chance and he could never hear that cheerful voice or see those pretty blue eyes ever again. Sinking down to the floor, the Russian vampire rested his back against his bed, his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. He slowly began rocking, trying to comfort himself in some way. It did nothing to ease his aching heart, nor did it distract him from the poisonous thoughts littering his mind.

Alfred was gone…Alfred was gone, and he was never going to come back to him.

Ivan let out a choked sob, his tears sliding down his pale cheeks quickly. His face felt hot from the tears and hurt and his eyes stung horribly. He couldn't stop the hurt, no matter how much he tried. He preferred physical torture over this. At least then, he could visibly see what was hurting him.

The reality stuck like ice to the ground; hard, cold, and unforgiving. He'd broken Alfred's trust and now his beautiful sunflower hated him. He hated Ivan and cursed him and condemned him for being the monster he was. Ivan gave a choked laugh, the dark sound unnatural and uneven. He deserved this. This was his punishment for taking Alfred for granted in the beginning. He should have stayed away. He told himself to stay away. WHY didn't he stay away?

The sun was beginning to rise now over the expanse of the city, its bright warm rays bathing Ivan's solitary room in oranges and yellows. Ivan would never wake to find Alfred in his bed again. No more warm nights of passionate kissing and soft hands and a delicious mouth. No more 'I love you's. No more ridiculous video games or chatting at the café or skating at the rink or discussing literature.

No more anything.

Ivan sank down onto the floor, laying his head against the cold wood. He wished the myths about the sun were true. Maybe then he could just go up in a cloud of flames and reduce himself to a pile of ash. But no….he should have known that this was how it was always meant to be. The life of a vampire was a solitary one and he was a blind fool not to realize that.

-x-

The next day Alfred called in sick, not wanting to face Ivan just yet. He then thought to call Arthur and Francis, before a sickening realization hit him: they were vampires too. It would once again explain why he rarely saw either of them eat, how they were 'allergic' to the sun, why they were so unearthly pale and beautiful, not as beautiful as Ivan- he stopped that thought there. Alfred just stayed in bed all day, wallowing in self-pity on how he could be so stupid. How did he not see the signs? These thoughts and more circled his mind as well as feelings of betrayal, anger, fear, and hurt. This moping lasted all week as he avoided talking to Francis and Arthur. Now it was Friday again he was staring at his dorms ceiling with a blank expression on his face, eyes red from crying as he lay on his bed.

What was worse was that Ivan didn't appear before Alfred once during that week. At first Alfred felt relief at the fact, but then as the days passed he found himself feeling emptier. Maybe he was just food for Ivan. Maybe it all was just some sick twisted game and Ivan had just been using him. Maybe he was just a monster...

Alfred's gut twisted uncomfortably at the thought. Alfred knew deep down that wasn't true. The reason why he was scared wasn't just because Ivan was a vampire. The reason why he was angry wasn't because he was tricked. No, he was angry because he was hurt. He was hurt because Ivan had lied to him. He was afraid Ivan never loved him, and only sought to use him. He felt betrayed that Ivan had temporarily taken away his free will and hurt Alfred. Alfred was also afraid of Ivan because, despite all this he ...he loved Ivan.

Alfred let out a choked sob at the thought. Dear God, Alfred loved Ivan. He was in love with a fucking vampire, someone who could possibly be using him or playing a disgusting and twisted game with him. And you know what? Maybe that was how it all started, maybe he did only want Alfred for his blood and a good fuck in the beginning. But somewhere along that first week he met Ivan, something changed. Alfred loved Ivan, and he started falling for him when he started seeing Ivan, not the hot, creeper hanging around him. He loved the way Ivan listened to him even when he was babbling on about video games and literature. He loved that Ivan was oh so sexy and suave, but at the same time completely bumbling when it came to romance. He loved how Ivan indulged his inner romantic, how sweet he was, how understanding he was of Alfred not being ready to have sex with him. If he had wanted to he could have taken Alfred's will away and had his way with him, but he didn't. Because that wasn't who Ivan was.

And that's when it hit Alfred. He was acting just like those adults in The Little Prince. He'd been so wrapped up in what Ivan was he forgot who he was. And that's what was important, Alfred didn't fall in love with Ivan because he was human, he fell in love with him because he was Ivan. He felt betrayed because he loved him, he felt angry because he loved him, he felt hurt because he loved him. He loved Ivan. And that's what changed in Ivan back during that first week, when he first really saw Alfred after the American told him his story, bought him flowers, and gave Ivan a chance. He fell in love with Alfred too.

Alfred didn't realize it, but as he came to this realization he was crying again, hot tears trailing down his cheeks once again and landing on his pillow. Alfred laughed a bit. He was such an idiot. He was about to lose the best thing that's happened to him all because he was blinded by his prejudice and emotion. He was about to lose the best things that's happened to him in a long while. But it wasn't too late. Slowly turning his head, he saw that his clock read 2 AM. He grabbed a coat to throw over his PJ's, it was winter now, so it was cold. Alfred threw all logic and caution to the wind, and raced out of his dorm room towards Ivan's apartment. Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice was telling him not to do this. Alfred was human and Ivan was a vampire and this wouldn't work out. And you know what? Alfred ignored it. He and Ivan would cross that bridge when the time came. And yes, Alfred was still hurt and mad at Ivan for lying to him, no matter how good a reason. He could yell at him for that later though. Right now he just wanted to try and get Ivan back and fix his mistake.

He arrived at the front door of Ivan's flat, out of breath and shivering from the cold, and knocked. After a few minutes of no one answering, he tried again, and again and again. After the fifth time of Alfred doing this he sighed and figured the Russian was out, probably getting food. Alfred shivered, trying not to think about it too much. And being the stubborn person he was decided to sit down in front of his flat and wait for him. After about an hour of waiting Alfred slowly felt his tear stained eyes droop, until they closed to carry him off into slumber.

-x-

For the first time in an entire week, Ivan had forced himself out of his flat and into the city to hunt. After lying in his bed and drowning himself in self-guilt and sorrow, he decided that it was high time for him to go out and feed. He was past his feeding date and his stomach was feeling cold and empty. Not to mention, his head hurt terribly. So here he was again in the midst of Paris, reluctantly feeding on the barely conscious body of a man. The blood was thin, stale, and practically flavorless to him, even after all his hunger. Though, that mainly came from his mood and the way he currently perceived things right now. It was no exaggeration that Ivan's outlook on life at the moment was dim at best.

Deciding that one person was enough to sate his hunger for at least a small bit, Ivan began his trek home. He flash-stepped through the city without any sign of vigor, his violet eyes dull and flat. He should have been over this a long time ago…how many hours had he spent dwelling on the fact that Alfred no longer loved him? This wasn't healthy….not even for a vampire. He knew that, but couldn't help his emotions. He figured it would be a long while before he even began to forget about Alfred.

Ivan landed softly on the sidewalk in front of his flat. The giant glass windows of his temporary home were dark with no signs of light inside. He'd been living this past week in total darkness, the thought of leaving his little cocoon of pain and melancholy unappealing. He was ready to return to that darkness and be forgotten by the world again. Approaching the door to his flat, Ivan's eyes widened in shock. His breath caught momentarily, the cold wintry air stuck in his lungs.

There, lying with his back against his door and his head slumped was Alfred.

Little puffs of fog escaped the blonde's lips. Ivan realized that he was sleeping…sleeping out in the middle of the wintry cold in front of his door. Waiting for him.

Rushing quickly to Alfred's body, he scooped the smaller male up into his arms and unlocked the door to his home. Rushing in, he took Alfred to his couch and laid him down gently. Alfred's skin was cold against Ivan's, and that was immediately a bad sign. The blonde was also shivering a little, his arms and legs curling in subconsciously. Ivan rushed to his storage closet and yanked out a thick comforter. Quickly returning to Alfred, he wrapped the other up in the warm cotton material. Sitting on the far edge of the couch, Ivan nudged Alfred's shoulder gently, trying to rouse the other to make sure he was okay. "Alfred? Alfred? Are you okay Can you hear me?" Amethyst eyes widened in worry as the blonde simply moaned incoherently below him. "Alfred? If you can hear me, say something please."

Alfred scrunched his eyes tighter at the voice trying to pool him from the dreamless sleep he was having. This whole week since his memory returned he hadn't had any nightmares, which was truly a blessing. Not wanting to be pulled from this sweet, blissful state, Alfred mumbled not even half consciously and almost incoherently, "Mmm, five more minutes." He then proceeded to curl himself away from whatever was shaking him and into whatever warm thing was wrapped around him and heating his chilled body back up. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a metaphorical bell went off as he subconsciously recognized the voice and in his sleep breathed out a happy, "Vanya..."

"Fredka…" Ivan answered, his chest swelling with joy at the tone of his name on Alfred's tongue. Ivan sent the shivering blonde a sad, but relieved smile and rested his hand on Alfred's covered shoulder. "Are you okay?" Ivan's voice was soft and gentle, even more so than usual. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I should have never done what I did to you." Ivan knew that now probably wasn't the best time for him to pour his heart and soul out to Alfred, but he feared it may be the last chance he got. "I know you could never forgive me and you may not care or believe me, but I love you Alfred. I feel like such a horrible monster for what I've done to you. It was true…at first, you were nothing more than a meal to me. I was to feed off of you and then let you go. But then I made the mistake of talking to you…and I saw what a beautiful and lovely person you were. Whenever you told me your story about your family and your life, I was appalled at my actions. How could I have ever hurt you? It was then that I realized how attracted I was to you. And with time…I fell in love." Ivan gave a weak laugh, staring out the large windows and out into the city. "I had never been in love before, so everything was so new and fresh to me. It was exciting. Every day with you was something new for me, and I found even more things I loved about you." Ivan grasped Alfred's slowly warming hand, giving it a small squeeze. "I love the way you talk about your interest for literature. I love how you blush and get all flustered whenever you're spoken sweetly to. I love how you carry yourself, with so much confidence and happiness despite all that you've been through. I love you, Alfred. I…I don't know how to put it all into words. I don't think I can. I feel too much whenever it comes to you." Ivan trailed off sadly, eyes dropping to his and Alfred's hand. His pale lashes dipped lower as he closed his eyes, waiting for some kind of response.

At some point during Ivan's speech, groggy blue eyes blinked open from being pulled out of sleep. Alfred listened quietly to Ivan's words, soaking them in and mulling them over. After a moment of silence, a silence filled with apprehension at what Alfred's response was going to be, he sat up slowly, still a bit sleepy and took the hand on his shoulder in his own. As Alfred intertwined their fingers in a gentle and tentative hold, looking straight ahead he breathed out a deep sigh through his nose. He began. " I...I'm sorry too, big guy. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions after finding out your true erm...'nature'?" He frowned a bit, not sure how to refer to Ivan. Was he a different species? Shaking his head a bit to stop his mind from wondering, he focused as much as he could. "No matter how justified I was in flipping out, I said terrible things to you Ivan and that was wrong, I was wrong. I'm so very sorry Vanya. We were both wrong no matter how justifiable our reasons. And we do need to talk about this...but later though. I'm tired and can hardly concentrate right now. We can talk about this tomorrow, when I'm off work." Finally turning to meet Ivan's amethyst eyes with his own sapphire ones, he let a small and tentative smile grace his lips. "And for the record, I love you too Vanya." He gave Ivan's hand a small squeeze in emphasis.

Ivan felt the ice around his heart melt away instantly at Alfred's words. All the days of hurt, all the past lonely nights, all of his tears, that didn't mean anything to him now. Alfred was here again and Alfred accepted him. Alfred said he loved him and Alfred was going to stay. Sliding his arms underneath Alfred, Ivan picked him up and began walking towards his bedroom. Nuzzling into the familiar blonde hair – sweet smelling, soft blonde hair – Ivan whispered out happily. "Maybe you should call in sick tomorrow…after all, it's almost 4 AM, you're shivering like a leaf in the wind, and you're bound to be sick tomorrow. Stay here and let me take care of you, please?" Ivan crossed his once lonely bedroom and laid Alfred down on his plush bed. Crawling onto the opposite side, Ivan snuggled Alfred closer, breathing in his pleasing scent. "I just realized something…" Ivan mused aloud, a playful smile tugging at his face. "I can finally tell you exactly how good you smell."

Alfred felt a sleepy smile tug on his lips. It was almost funny how easily they were slipping back into their routine. Alfred tried to still his shivering as he snuggled into Ivan's warm embrace...now that was concerning if Ivan felt WARM to him. Shaking his head, Alfred said. "No, I can't do that. I called in sick last Saturday. If I do it again, it'll be mighty suspicious and the owner might assume I was out partyin' and drinkin' and I'm hungover or somthin'. Besides, I'm just cold, I'll be okay in the mornin'." Alfred felt his face heat up at Ivan's compliment. "C-Creeper." Came his weak reply as he nuzzled his head farther into Ivan as he became flustered.

"I miss that." Ivan sighed, feeling Alfred nuzzle against him despite his insult. Deciding to leave things at that, Ivan let himself settle into the bed while Alfred's breathing became more deep and calm. His shaking eventually stopped and after a while, his body began to warm back up. Ivan looked down to see the other fast asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly. Pressing a kiss to Alfred's blonde hair, Ivan found a comfortable position and spent the rest of the night petting Alfred absentmindedly.

-x-

Ivan looked at the clock inside the café. It was almost 6PM, which meant closing time. He'd been sitting at his usual table for about 30 minutes now, anxious to get Alfred back and make up for lost time together. He hadn't been able to say or do much this morning since Alfred was late for work. That was mostly due to him not getting enough sleep last night and sleeping in extra late. Ivan, thankfully, was about to show Alfred exactly how fast he could go, and easily flash-stepped their way to the café. Alfred had thrown a fit, yelling about how he thought he was going to die while Ivan merely laughed it off. The American did come around though, and admitted that he thought it was "cool".

It was a little strange now…well…not strange, as much as it was uncommon, especially for Alfred. By uncommon, Ivan of course meant sharing the truth of vampires with the other. Alfred hadn't gotten around to pestering Ivan with questions yet, but he had a feeling that they were coming soon. The clock struck six and the rest of the patrons were ushered out of the café. The manager had let Ivan stay, already accustomed to him always picking Alfred up from work. He'd asked Ivan where he'd been for the past week. Ivan had made up an excuse and told him that he caught a bad cold.

In no less than 10 minutes, Alfred came from the back room, dressed in his casual clothing and wearing his trademark smile. Ivan greeted him, taking both of the blonde's hands into his own and pulling him into a hug and a kiss. "Ready to go home?"

Alfred blushed a bit at the sudden kiss, but smiled and nodded. Helping Ivan out of his seat, he held Ivan's hand as they headed out the door, Alfred yelling his goodbyes. Looking back at Ivan he said, "Yeah, but we're walking this time!" It was funny how Ivan called his flat their home. Then again, Alfred had been practically living there since Ivan first took him to his flat. Alfred really should just move in...but even if Ivan asked, he couldn't. One of the conditions when he went abroad was he had to use the college dorm there. Ivan chuckled, amused by Alfred's insistence on the request, but agreed to walking back to his flat.

After an awkward silence, Alfred asked the first of many questions to come. "Soooo, I see you guys don't burst into flames in the sun." This morning as Alfred was getting ready for work he and Ivan talked about what had gone on between them earlier that week. They both admitted they were wrong and apologized to each other again. Alfred even admitted that he was still a bit peeved at Ivan for lying to him and betraying his trust. He did however say he was willing to forgive Ivan if the Russian A) answered all of his questions truthfully and B) If the Russian promised never to use that eye trick again to control Alfred without his consent. The Russian readily agreed to his second term, but hesitantly agreed to the first.

"No, we don't." Ivan replied simply. Seeing that Alfred wanted an explanation, he continued. "The sun isn't lethal to us, but that doesn't mean it's not a nuisance and can't cause some damage. Remember the day we spent walking around the city?" Ivan saw the recognition in Alfred's eyes as the blonde nodded. "It's very annoying, especially whenever it's a clear day and the sun is shining brightly. I guess you can sort of compare it to being tired and trying to do hard labor at the same time. It's very taxing on our bodies if we stay out in the sun too long…I see that look in your eyes, so I might as well say it. Next question, please."

Alfred blinked and then chuckled a bit. Was he really that predictable? Alfred wondered, storing the sun information away in his memory. "Well at least you don't sparkle." Alfred said jokingly, and nearly burst out laughing at the disgruntled look Ivan gave. Alfred earlier that month found out Ivan wasn't up to date with new literature, and decided to pull a prank on Ivan by telling him to read the whole Twilight series. He finished it within a week, and needless to say he hadn't been happy with Alfred for wasting his time like that.

Thinking for a moment, Alfred's eyes lit up as he thought of his next question, "OH! What's that eye trick you do? The one where they glow and I lose all my free will? Does it work on other vampires?" As bothersome as it was to think Ivan had that ability, he trusted the Russian not to use it on him against his will.

Ivan grimaced at Alfred's first remark, mumbling grumpily. "I'm still not forgiving you for making me read that atrocious piece of literature…if it can even be called that." Wiping away his grimace at Alfred's second question, Ivan answered again. "Oh, that? That's called enthralling. Most experienced vampires possess that ability. It can be used on other vampires, albeit to a much lesser extent. It's usually reserved for…ah…more intimate purposes." Ivan felt a sheepish smile spread across his face. "We use it to make feeding easier. After all, things are much less complicated whenever your dinner practically jumps into your arms. But you'll never have to experience that feeling again. I'll never use my magic on you unless…you want me to." They were nearing Ivan's flat now, the large house at the end of the street. "Let's wait until we get inside to ask any more questions. I'm burning alive." Although it was December, the cloud cover still wasn't enough to protect him from the small rays of sunshine that blared from above. Ivan wondered idly whenever they would have their first major snow…

The American snickered at the Russian's annoyance with the book series. "Aw, I could have done worse! I didn't make you read Fifty Shades of Grey!" ...Yet that it is, Alfred cackled manically in his mind.

Alfred blushed at the mention of it being used in a more intimate setting. After a brief walk to Ivan's home they, entered Ivan's flat. The Russian sat down at the end of the couch and Alfred lay out on his back with his head in Ivan's lap. Blush still there he, stared up at the Russian and asked, "S-So, how's it used intimately?" Alfred was honestly curious how losing your ability to say no would excite people…er, vampires. Alfred chose not to think of how easily Ivan regarded people as food. It was a bit unsettling seeing as he thought of Alfred in that way at one point.

"It's not used merely for clouding the mind. It can be used for different purposes as well. It acts almost as an artificial aphrodisiac on top of the hypnotism. It's good for making people…sensitive." Ivan seemed to falter for the correct word and decided to settle on that one. "I don't mean to bring up any painful memories, but you sort of have a clue as to how that works. Whenever I snuck into your dorm room, I implemented a bit of it into our…session together. It wasn't the full extent of my power, but it was enough for you to know by experience what it was like." Ivan carded his fingers through Alfred's hair, enjoying the texture of it between his fingers.

Alfred felt his face heat up more, now resembling a cherry. With a gulp, he admitted, "Well, that experience I'll admit I quite enjoyed...and I did respond a bit with my own free will. Regardless of how clouded my mind was..." Alfred let out a pleased hum at Ivan's petting, closing his eyes. They sat there in silence for a couple comfortable minutes, Alfred just enjoying the feel of Ivan's hand running through his hair and periodically scratching his scalp. Opening his eyes, he looked off to the side a bit to avoid eye contact. "Just out of curiosity, how powerful can you make your enthrallment?" When Alfred flicked his eyes back up to look at Ivan after a long pause of silence, he immediately regretted looking at Ivan and even more so asking that question at the look Ivan was giving him. He had on a childish smile, though from the way his violet eyes were narrowed he could almost feel the darkness and hunger radiating off him. Alfred felt a blush start to spread once again as he shivered from the smoldering look.

"I can make it so powerful that my victims are literally writhing in lust. I have the power to reduce anyone to a moaning and panting mess, right before my eyes." Ivan kept his seductive smile plastered to his face, refusing to break eye contact with Alfred. He continued stroking his fingers through Alfred's hair, raking his fingers softly down to the blonde's nape and scratching lightly. "And why, Alfred, are you so curious about my enthrallment powers?" Ivan purred sweetly, his tone innocent.

If Alfred looked like a cherry before, he looked like he was about to erupt now. Blue eyes were wide, body tense, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Alfred's mind was broken from the combination of Ivan's tone, look, and what he'd said. He was barely able to give his response. Alfred's mind was confused as to rather he wanted to test out Ivan's claim or run and lock himself in a closet until he was able to slap on a chastity belt. In the end, he just squeaked out a hurried, "N-No r-reason!"

Ivan was tempted, sorely tempted, to try and edge Alfred on. But he had promised not to ever force his magic on Alfred ever again, and if his lover didn't really want it, then there was nothing Ivan could do. Shrugging, the Russian's attitude did a 180 and his seductive charm was replaced with his usual casualness. "Okay then. If that's the truth, then I won't pester you anymore."

Alfred slowly calmed down from his arousal overload. Still slightly embarrassed about his little freak out, Alfred sat up and adjusted himself so he was now snuggled into Ivan's side yet still able to partially hide his face in Ivan's scarf. "You're such a tease." He mumbled, not seeing Ivan roll his eyes since really in this situation Alfred was unknowingly being a tease too. Alfred felt Ivan wrap his arm around Alfred's waist to pull him closer and reached across his own chest to pet Alfred's soft, sunshine hair again. Alfred let out another hum in approval. He liked the physical attention Ivan gave. "Mmm, Ivan how old are you? And I'm not talking about how old you look."

"Oh my," Ivan drawled out, trying to figure the exact year. He'd given up keeping the exact, approximate amount of years he'd been alive and had stuck with counting by decades and centuries instead. "Hmm…let's see…I was turned in about 700 AD…so I'm somewhere near 1300 years old." Ivan had to bite his lip to stifle the boisterous laughter that threatened to spill from him at Alfred's expression. The blonde was absolutely flabbergasted, his mouth open and his eyes wide in disbelief. "What? I'm not too old for you, am I?"

Alfred didn't know what to say to that. Ivan was positively ancient. "...Jesus Christ, you are a pedophile." And then something hit Alfred, "Wait, wait ,wait. Are you gay, bisexual or what? I mean like forever ago, you could be burned at the stake for being gay! Like, when did you discover you liked guys? And do you tend to dig chicks or dudes more in general, or are you just so old that you have no gender preference?" Even though some of his questions could be taken offensively, namely the last one, it was obvious that Alfred meant no harm by them. He was simply curious. Now that Alfred thought about it...Ivan had been there to see it all; every major accomplishment and atrocity ever recorded in history book. He experienced it all! No wonder Ivan had such an air around him that just read that he'd seen things you only heard about in history or dreamed about in nightmares. Alfred just stared at Ivan in awe, unable to really comprehend all of this.

"At first I was strictly attracted to women. But with time and change, I slowly began to experiment with men as well. After a while, I found that I really had no preference in gender. Though, I will admit that I favor men slightly more. That's only because I feel I can understand them more. Women are very frustrating and complicated at times." Ivan rolled his eyes at Alfred's childlike curiosity. He was staring at Ivan like a kid would some candy in a candy shop. "I bet you're wondering…what all have I experienced? Even if we were to sit here all night and discuss this, I wouldn't be able to cover all my experiences with the world and its events. I will tell you this, though: humans are very, very cruel creatures. You put the wrong person in the right place and what you will get is complete and utter chaos." Ivan shivered at a particular thought: Lenin dying, Stalin rising to power in 1924. So many innocent people killed…all because of a single, paranoid, evil man. Even Ivan, a thousand year old vampire, had a hard time staring that man in the face. "Any more questions?" Ivan directed his attention out the window. It was a little past 7PM now and the sky was covered in a thick veil of midnight black and puffy grey clouds. He could make out little flurries of white drifting to the ground. Maybe it would snow tonight…

Alfred thought about Ivan's deduction of humans for a moment. Now while he didn't disagree with the fact the humans could be very cruel, he didn't like to lump everyone together like that. "Not everyone is cruel, y'know." Alfred mumbled before letting out a hum as he ran through his mind to select his next few questions. After a few seconds Alfred licked his slightly chapped lips and asked, "You said you were turned right? How does 'turning' work? Did someone turn you? If so, who, and what happened to your family? Can vampires have babies like in books and movies, rather half or full vampires?" Alfred felt Ivan tense, his grip on Alfred's waist tightening a fraction and his hand stilling in petting his hair. Alfred frowned and moved his face away from the crook of the vampire's neck to look at his face, which was tense as well, lips pressed in a tight line, violet eyes hard and conflicting as he stared out the window. Alfred hesitantly reached up to stoke Ivan's cheek with the back of his knuckles, "If you need a moment or somethin', I could make some dinner for myself while you compose yourself or something." Alfred suggested when he saw Ivan's raging emotions from one of his questions.

"Yes, that would be…good…" Ivan spoke stiffly, breathing and chest seizing up at the mention of his family and his creator. Alfred nodded and slid off the couch, disappearing into the kitchen. Ivan let out his held breath, exhaling in a quick huff. He leaned back against the couch, letting his head fall back against the top of the cushion. He wasn't sure he was ready to tell Alfred about his past yet. It felt so unfair though to hold that information from Alfred. Alfred was willing to tell Ivan about his family and hardships, so why couldn't Ivan do the same? He would just have to force himself to suck it up and spill the beans. He couldn't keep it a secret forever...well, actually he could, but that's not really rational thinking. Ivan sighed, forcing himself to relax and calm his mind as he thought of a way to begin his story. A couple of minutes later, Alfred emerged from the kitchen with a stacked sandwich in his hand. Ivan resisted the urge to poke fun at how much strange stuff the other put on his sandwich, but decided to withhold his comment for now. Now, he needed to focus on controlling his emotions as much as he could. "Alright…I'm ready to tell you."

Alfred took a seat next to Ivan, their shoulders touching as he placed the plate with his sandwich on his lap. Taking Ivan's larger and chillier hand in his, he gave it a comforting squeeze. Smiling up reassuringly, he nodded. "Okay, begin when ya feel like it big guy." He took half of his sandwich in hand and began eating at a slower rate than usual, too busy focusing on Ivan to go at his usual monstrous pace. He waited for Ivan to begin his tale with rapt attention.

Ivan took a moment to sort through his words once again. Exhaling heavily, he began. "I haven't told anyone else about this, just to let you know. I was working on a farm with my older sister. It was just us, our parents and most of our other family having already passed away. Her name was Katyusha. We farmed wheat around the region that is now considered the Ukraine. One day, I was out in a field, doing my usual work whenever she came." Ivan visibly shuddered at the thought of her. "She was a vampire named Natalia, and at the time she was about 150 years old. She saw me out in the wheat field and instantly became attracted to me. Wanting to take me in as a fledgling, she attacked me in the midst of the wheat. There was no one else around, and Katyusha was inside our home. No one could hear me screaming…" Ivan closed his eyes, reliving the memories. "A awoke a short time later and when I did, I instantly realized how different everything looked, smelled, and sounded. It was like I had been living with a veil over my eyes, obscuring my visions. As a vampire, I could take in so much more. My vision was clearer, my sense more acute than before. Natalia explained to me what she had done. At first, I was horrified and unbelieving. I tried to escape, but I was still new to my body and its powers, so Natalia easily overpowered me. I was living the life of a prisoner, rebelling at every chance I could. Eventually, I finally gave in to my inevitable fate, becoming the perfect little pet that Natalia always wanted.

That was, until she died." Ivan drew in a shuddering breath, the hurt just as raw as it was 1000 years ago. "It was only 5 years after my turning. I had been trying my best to both watch over Katyusha and obey Natalia. Eventually, Natalia found out about this. She wasn't happy, to say the least. She…she viewed Katyusha as an obstacle that was blocking her path. And I was the place she was trying to get to." Ivan felt the familiar stinging in his eyes, the next part of his story coming out in barely a whisper. "Katyusha…she was defenseless against Natalia. She was attacked in the middle of the night while I was feeding somewhere. Natalia slit her throat. She didn't even give Katyusha a decent death. Afterwards, she severed my sister's head-" The first tears brimmed over, falling quickly down Ivan's pale cheeks. "She brought her head to me and held it up by the hair. At first I thought it was just a horrible dream, but then I realized it was real. Natalia told me that this was the fate of anyone who tried to stand in the way of her and me." Ivan's expression began to slowly morph into one of fury, his teeth clenched tightly and his fangs showing dangerously. "That's whenever I decided that I was tired of being a slave to Natalia. I decided to fight back, to escape. I wasn't going to allow myself to be her toy and let her parade me around like a dog on a leash.

I attacked her immediately afterwards. Thankfully, I caught her off guard with my outrage. I don't remember much…it was like I blacked out and everything was nothing but a blur. Whenever I came to, I found myself in a place I didn't recognize, covered in Natalia's blood. I could tell it was hers by the icy scent of it. I wasn't sure if I had killed her, but I realized that now was my chance to escape, and I wasn't going to waste it by going back to check." Ivan took a moment to calm himself, his fingers relaxing and his expression going flat. He wiped away some of the tears that had fallen. "It was about 3 or 4 centuries later that I found out that Natalia survived. A coven of vampires told me that she came to them looking for information on a vampire named 'Ivan'. They gave me the exact description of myself that Natalia had given them. I've been hiding from her ever since. I've been lucky to go so long without meeting her again. Natalia isn't the best tracker in the world, so she has quite a hard time finding others. That, and I've been constantly migrating around the world in order to throw her trail off. The whole sociology thing I told you was nothing but an excuse for me to hide the fact that I'm on the run. One day, I will have to leave this city, too…" Ivan turned his eyes on Alfred's, his lips pulling into a frown. Just looking at the blonde and thinking about leaving him behind made his heart ache painfully.

Alfred felt he's breath hitch at the story. Half way through it he had stopped eating. His sandwich only two thirds consumed, he placed the plate down on Ivan's coffee table and opened his arms up to Ivan, offering a warm embrace. He saw Ivan pause before gingerly accepting the comforting hug. Alfred felt Ivan's nose nuzzle into the crook of his neck as the Russian wrapped his arms around Alfred's waist, pulling him in close. Wrapping his own arms around Ivan's scarfed neck, he whispered, "I'm so sorry Ivan." Considering how old Ivan was, he knew his family would have been long dead. He just didn't expect them to have perished so horribly. He bit his lip as he asked Ivan quietly, "H...How long do you usually stay in one place?"

"I can usually stay for a couple months. Regardless of how much Natalia would like to search for me nonstop, she does have to stop to rest, feed, and cover up her tracks. Like the rest of us, she also has to be careful in concealing her nature. I assume that whenever she makes a move, she must spend a couples days, even weeks thinking about it. I can only remain here for a couple more weeks before I have to leave." Ivan closed his eyes, listening to Alfred's heartbeat and breathing. It did its job, and helped to soothe the Russian vampire's nerves.

Alfred's breath hitched once again at the short notice. "I…I see." Well, he would have been leaving back for America in a couple months anyway. He was only here for the semester and spring semester would be starting soon. They would have parted ways soon anyways. Alfred let out a weak laugh, trying to be light hearted about it. "Guess I'll be out of your hair soon, huh?"

Ivan frowned deeply at that, unable to meet Alfred's eyes. "I should leave in a couple weeks. Should…but I'm not sure if I can." The violet eyed vampire turned to Alfred, giving him a sad and weak smile. "I know it's dangerous for both me and you to stay in one spot for too long, but I just can't seem to think rationally whenever I'm around you. Is it stupid that I'd rather risk my life by staying here rather than leaving you?" Ivan laughed dryly. "I must sound insane…"

Alfred blinked in surprise at the sincerity of the answer. Alfred smiled and nuzzled the top of Ivan's head, "Nah, I understand big guy. I wanna have you around too, but I also don't want this Natalia bitch to find ya." Alfred bit his lip as he hesitantly suggested, playing with the ends of Ivan's hair nervously. "You know...once this semester ends in a couple of months I'll be heading back to the states. You could um, you could come with me." Alfred held his breath, prepared to have his idea shot down, desperately hoping that it wouldn't be though.

Ivan hummed in thought. "Actually, that wouldn't be a half bad idea. It's all the way across the Atlantic, and Natalia will be hesitant to travel that far to find me." Ivan looked up from where he had his head resting against Alfred's shoulder. "It sounds like a plan to me." The smile that engulfed Alfred's face made Ivan's chest swell with joy.

Alfred was positively beaming; his idea hadn't been shot down. He didn't have to part with Ivan. Alfred's heart was fluttering like crazy. He felt warm all over at the thought. And to express it, he pulled Ivan in for an enthusiastic kiss, releasing the Russian's lips he started to babble. "This is great Ivan! We could get an apartment, split rent and stuff- you could help me with my college stuff. We could hangout and stuff. I can show you all the awesome places or just plain places! Maybe we could go to Kansas or South Dakota during the summer and see the sunflower fields-" Alfred paused and smiled sheepishly. He apologized, "S-Sorry, I went on babbling again. That's if ya wanna do that stuff..."

Giggling a little at Alfred's enthusiastic outburst, Ivan kissed him softly on the lips before replying cheerfully. "Of course. As long as I'm with you, anything we do together will be fun. I particularly like the part about the sunflower fields. It's been so long since I've been to Kansas." Ivan remembered that conversation. It was before Alfred knew what he was. He'd almost ended up revealing his true nature to the blonde back then. But he didn't have to hide it anymore. "That was all the way back in the 1800s. Ah, I just remembered. You wanted to know how we turn others, right?" Alfred nodded at him, having seemingly forgotten about his earlier question. "It's not just a matter of sharing our blood with others. We have different types of magic that we can implement in our blood and eyes. Like I said before, each can have a different effect: memory loss, arousal booster, manipulation, and changing others. Basically, vampires must share their blood infused with a special type of magic in order to change others. Younger vampires are incapable of doing so, because their magic is so weak. Older vampires can do it with much ease."

Alfred nodded his head slowly, taking the information in. "So...does it hurt?" Alfred tilted his head curiously. It would make since if it did, considering it seemed your body took on a drastic physical change. Then again, it might not considering magic was involved. Alfred wiggled out of their embrace for a moment and leaned over to grab the rest of his sandwich and shoved it in his mouth. As he chewed he snuggled up against Ivan again, missing the pale man's mixed expression of exasperation and fond amusement at Alfred's lack of eating tact.

"I'm not sure…" Ivan wondered aloud. "I was already unconscious from blood loss whenever it happened. So any possible pain I might have felt would have been bypassed. Of course, I'd already suffered enough. I've only been told by others how it is done, not exactly how it feels. I assume there might be some discomfort, but not the mind-numbing pain that is often associated with popular vampire folklore." Ivan curled Alfred's ahoge around his finger and let go, watching it flop right back in place. That strand of hair never seemed to want to be tamed. "Anything else you're curious about?" Ivan had been expecting Alfred to also ask questions about himself, but the blonde seemed to be purely fixated on Ivan at the moment.

Alfred bit his lip, mulling over once again what he wanted to ask. After a moment, he frowned and sighed, but nodded his head resolutely. "So, when you feed, you...you kill people, right?" Alfred already knew what the answer was, but he felt like he needed to hear it out loud. He felt like he wouldn't be able to full accept the fact unless he heard Ivan said it himself. It would be odd getting used to the fact he was dating someone who has killed and will probably kill more. At the same time though he knew that was Ivan's reality rather he or Alfred or anyone really liked it or not.

"Da." Ivan answered without the slightest waver in his voice. "I kill most of the people I feed off of. You were the first person I've spared in a long, long time. I'm talking about decades. But if it makes you feel any better, most of my victims don't die painful deaths. Well, at least not too painful. I only try to purposely make it painful whenever someone pisses me off." Ivan saw the slightly put off look on Alfred's face and frowned. "I know you must dislike me because of that reason, but it's only my nature. I have to feed in order to survive, and it's better if I kill my victims rather than run the risk of them surviving and recovering their memories. It would cause a lot of trouble with our kind, and we need to try and keep the rumors and suspicions to a minimum." Ivan watched as Alfred nodded, a still slightly conflicted expression on his features. Deciding they needed a subject change and fast, Ivan asked smugly. "What? No questions about your blood? How it affects me? What it tastes like?"

Alfred just sighed. It'll take some getting used to like he said, but he won't let that ruin his relationship with Ivan. It's not like Ivan had much of a choice either. At the Russians teasing he blushed. Of course those questions had entered his thoughts. He just forgot about them. "Well, I figured my blood tasted like everyone else's." Alfred mumbled, avoiding eye contact. Did vampires have different taste buds or something? Did blood not just taste like iron to them like it does to humans? That would be certainly interesting. And what did Ivan mean by Alfred's blood affecting him?

"Absolutely not." Ivan retorted quickly. His lips curled into a smoldering smile, his pale lashes dipping lower and framing his eyes. Oh, this would be fun. "If everyone's blood tasted like your blood, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself from feeding constantly. No, your blood…your blood is utterly and incredibly delicious; sweet like candy, smooth like milk chocolate, and creamy like vanilla. Mmm…" Ivan felt his mouth salivate at the thought of Alfred's blood. He licked his lips, feeling his thirst grow with his thoughts. "Warm and soothing and incredibly nice to the senses. You have a scent like no other. While other people may smell average or decent at best, your scent is addicting and fragrant. It draws me in like a moth to a flame. I know I shouldn't touch you, but I can't help it…" Ivan stroked the top of Alfred's hand with a single finger, reveling at the softness and warmth of his skin. "And above all, you're beautiful."

Could Ivan not make Alfred blush every five minutes? Nope, seems the Russian was hell bent on making Alfred pass out from all his blood rushing to his head. Blushing a light shade of red, Alfred mumbled with a sulky pout. "'M no beautiful, I'm drop dead sexy or heroically handsome." Biting his lip, he thought about Ivan's response to how his blood tasted. "How often would you have to feed if ya only drank until they only felt a little tired or woozy? Like not kill them?" Alfred asked this a bit hesitantly. He couldn't believe he was going to suggest this...

"Not much more. It would cut down my feeding rate by a little over half." Ivan tilted his head, curiously. "Hmm, why do you ask?" A somehow knowing and sweet smile made its way onto Ivan's face. Alfred's cheeks were tinted bright red, the blood pooling deliciously under his skin.

Alfred took a deep breath and just decided to spit it out. "Well, uh, you can feed from me...if it means ya won't go out and drink others dry..." That and aside from the first time, from what he remembered when Ivan fed off him it could actually be quite...pleasurable. Besides, if Ivan really liked his blood, and it prevented innocent people from dying, he supposed it wasn't that bad of a tradeoff. He honestly just ran the risk of looking like someone who had a partner that was really into giving hickeys and biting. Not that Alfred would have minded that either...

Ivan's eyes widened at Alfred's suggestion. They zeroed in on his neck – his unmarked, fully healed neck – that was just begging to be ravaged at the moment. "If you've given me your consent…" Ivan leaned forward, running a hand through Alfred's hair and drawing the other closer. He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the blonde's lips, enjoying how they instantly parted under his own. Alfred's warm tongue ran over his lips and Ivan shivered at the taste. He sucked the other's tongue into his mouth, his lips beginning to move in sync with Alfred's. Kissing, no matter how chaste or long, was always so pleasant with Alfred. Sucking on Alfred's bottom lip and then finally drawing away from the kiss, Ivan sent the other a toothy smile, his fangs showings just slightly. "I can promise you that you will enjoy this immensely~" Ivan's eyes filled with magic and he watched as Alfred gasped, seemingly drawn in by them. He wasn't robbing the other of his freewill this time. No…he was implementing his magic for another use. It didn't take long to see the blonde react to it. Alfred's eyes went half lidded, his lips parted slightly as his breathing became shallower. Picking up Alfred's hand and kissing each knuckle, Ivan whispered sweetly, "Do you trust me with this?"

Alfred enjoyed the long and lingering kiss. He was a bit disappointed when he felt Ivan pull off from sucking his bottom lip, but shivered in anticipation at the promise the Russian made. As he noticed Ivan's eyes glow for a moment he felt panic for a second, thinking Ivan was going to take away his free will again. Instead though of the usual fog that clouded his mind whenever Ivan had enthralled him, he only started feeling pleasantly warm. The warmth slowly spread throughout his body at teasingly slow rate, eyes drooping half closed at the pleasant warmness. Soon the warmth kicked up a few degrees causing his breath to become shallower and cheeks to flush softly. This was shocking considering it took a really nice make out session to get him this hot and bothered. This feeling wasn't unpleasant though.

Alfred paused for a moment at Ivan asking him if he trusted him. Of course he did, he wouldn't have suggested this if he hadn't. To answer Ivan question Alfred adjusted himself on the couch until he was straddling Ivan lap. Wrapping his arms around the Russian's neck he leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss to Ivan's cool lips before resting his forehead on Ivan's. "I trust ya Vanya. Wouldn't have suggested this if I didn't."

Ivan smiled, brushing his nose against Alfred's. "Alright." He trailed his lips along Alfred's jawline, his nose skimming the perimeter of the blonde's face as he dropped lower. He pressed his lips against Alfred's neck in a kiss and then drew his tongue slowly over the tan skin. Ivan heard Alfred exhale shakily at the attention on his neck. Baring his fangs, Ivan sank them in slowly, causing Alfred to jolt slightly in his lap and gasp loudly. Fingers dug slightly into Ivan's back at the initial bite, but soon softened after a couple seconds. Alfred's blood flowed warm and sweet into Ivan's mouth, causing the Russian to moan against the blonde's neck. He sucked softly, never pulling too much blood at once and only taking in small increments at a time. He could faintly hear Alfred panting lightly, the sound erotic and beautiful to Ivan. Feeling a hand settle against the side of his head, Ivan was a little surprised whenever Alfred urged him closer to his neck. The blonde titled his head a bit to the side, giving Ivan even better access to neck. Wrapping his arms around Alfred, he held him tightly against him and closed his eyes, letting himself drown in the wonderful sensations plaguing his body at the moment. Ivan's stomach felt nice and warm, the blood settling nicely. His throat felt less parched, his taste buds on fire with creamy sweetness. Not wanting to drain Alfred to the point of unconsciousness, Ivan pulled away, licking the bite wound and then his lips free of blood. Alfred slumped a little bit in his arms, a little drained from the experience, but still able to stay awake.

"That felt nice." Alfred mumbled with half drooping eyes, a little sleepy from the blood loss. He probably shouldn't try getting up for a few minutes, lest he gets lightheaded and falls on his butt. Alfred had honestly really enjoyed that. It was strange, but because of the warmth that had been coursing through him to arouse him more beforehand, he hardly felt the piercing sensation of Ivan's fangs sinking into his neck. The little bit of pain he did feel though made him tense, but also shiver in pleasure. Then he felt the most wonderful sucking sensation and the warmth of the magic Ivan had used from the enthrallment. Alfred started feeling really nice, a slow and pleasant pleasure coursing through his veins causing Alfred to pant shallowly, give a breathy moan or two every once and a while, as well as pull Ivan closer and tilt his neck for more.

As he rested his against Ivan's shoulder, Alfred felt a little idea form in his mind. Smiling impishly, he raised his head a bit right next to Ivan's ear and purred, licking his lips. "Y'know Ivan, just 'cause you're a vampire doesn't mean you're the only one allowed to bite and leave marks in this relationship." Before Ivan could process his words, Alfred lowered his head to a sliver of exposed neck that his scarf didn't cover. He placed a soft open mouth kiss on that spot and licked the area before biting just enough to leave teeth indention on his skin, then applying some suction. He heard Ivan give a low moan. Pulling off with a satisfied smirk he admired the small red hickey. It would probably disappear by morning at least, but that didn't matter to Alfred. He just wanted to get sweet revenge for Ivan teasing him a good portion of the night. Giving Ivan another playful smile he said, "One more question for tonight. Whatcha wanna do for our date day?"

Ivan's neck still tingled pleasantly from Alfred's mouth. He licked his lips, wanting nothing more to toss Alfred over his shoulder and disappear into the bedroom. However, the blonde was half awake from the bite and his eyes were drooping as if he was about to fall asleep. Ivan was tempted to just feed Alfred his blood and continue on with his urgent needs, but he wouldn't force Alfred into doing anything he didn't want to do. "It really depends on what you're up to." Ivan hadn't meant to make it sound so suggestive, but it came out that way anyway. "I mean, would you rather stay here or go out somewhere?"

Alfred blushed at how suggestive that sentence was, but knew what Ivan had meant. Smiling, Alfred shrugged. "Mm can't really think of anything I wanna do. So does staying in and watching a movie or something sound good to you?" Honestly he just wanted some cuddle time with Ivan. Considering how inseparable they'd been since they started dating and the sudden week long separation, even if he'd been angry at the time, had felt odd and emptier. Sorta like he just took Ivan's presence for granted and then he was gone. Now Alfred just wanted to keep the Russian all to himself for a little while. Not that he'd ever tell Ivan this, nope. He'd die of embarrassment. Though speaking of not having contact with people for a whole week..."I'll have to call Artie and Francis tomorrow. I sorta been avoiding them too, considering I realized they were vampires." He'd need to do that soon before the Brit knocked down Ivan's door demanding to know if he avoiding them had anything to do with the Russian.

Alfred sleepily snuggled into Ivan and asked, "Y'wanna go to bed?" Then in his sleep hazed mind, he realized something. "Hey do vampires sleep?" He asked with a puzzled look.

"No, we do not. We can chose to go into a sleep-like state, but it's not beneficial to us in any way like it is to humans. If we're desperately bored and need to pass time, we usually do that. But most of us always find something to keep us interested. I for one do not like sleeping at all." 'Too many bad dreams', Ivan thought to himself. Scooping Alfred up in his arms despite the other's protests of it not being manly, Ivan merely giggled and headed for the bedroom.

After some useless griping on not being a damsel in distress and that he could walk on his own, Ivan laid Alfred down before sliding in next to the blushing blonde. Rolling so half of his body was on top of Ivan, Alfred looked up at the Russian and rested his cheek on the Russian's shoulder. Ivan's answer only served to confuse Alfred more so in curiosity he asked, "What do you do while I sleep then? Every time I've slept over or you invaded my dorm, I'd wake up in the same position as when I fell asleep." Well not the exact same position. Sometimes he would roll completely on top of Ivan, be cuddled up to his side, or on a couple occasions they were spooned up against each other. It was almost as if Ivan never left the bed or had moved to accommodate any position Alfred rolled or curled into. Now that he thought about it though, Ivan always was awake whenever Alfred awoke. He'd always just brushed it off has Ivan being an earlier riser.

"I like to watch you, of course. You like to mumble things in your sleep, and I find it cute." Ivan flicked Alfred's cowlick once more, watching as it bobbed a little. "I know you don't like to wake up alone, so I never leave."

Alfred felt his face heat up as he gaped at his boyfriend in both shock and embarrassment. "How did-? I never told ya tha-! I'm not cu- GAH, you're such a creeper!" He was finally able to exclaim after stumbling over his words. Really, Twilight lied. There was nothing romantic about someone watching you sleep all night. It was actually really creepy. At the same time though, he couldn't help but feel flustered. He'd never openly expressed his displeasure of waking up alone. It was just something he was ashamed about. He hated his abandonment issues, they were so uncool...

"Oh hush." Ivan chided. "And go to sleep before you say something too embarrassing. I'm afraid all this blood loss is messing with your head." Ivan chuckled before relaxing into the comforter. Alfred stuck his tongue out at him, but didn't say anything more. A couple minutes later, Ivan could hear the tell-tale signs of sleep from Alfred, his breathing level, deep, and calm.


	10. Shower Fun

Alfred woke up at around twelve the next morning, finding himself curled up against the Russian as usual. Blinking sleepy eyes, he looked up at the Russian's face to see him smiling down softly at him. Remembering their conversation last night, he couldn't help but blush a bit and mutter. "Creeper." Despite the insult though, he did lean up to press his lips against Ivan's in a good morning kiss. "Mornin'." Alfred mumbled against Ivan's lips. Ivan may be a major creeper, but he was Alfred's creeper. Lazily, he untangled himself from Ivan and yawned, stretching as he sat up. He'd slept really well last night, but even with his energy restored he had a feeling today was going to be a lazy day. He felt an arm wrap around his waist as he Ivan leaned forward to press a kiss to the back of Alfred's hair.

"Good morning. So when are we going to watch that movie?" Ivan asked, his lips pressed against Alfred's messy hair and his voice slightly muffled. He wondered if Alfred would let him take a shower with him this morning…even with their advancing relationship, Alfred was still slightly put off at the thought of being completely naked in front of Ivan. The Russian didn't understand why. Alfred had a beautiful body. His skin was glowing and healthy, his hair and eyes vibrant and beautiful.

Alfred hummed in thought, "Well I was thinking later this evening. Until then, we can just hang around. Or we could walk around the city and get lunch and ice cream. I need to call Arthur and Francis before we do anything though." Turning around in Ivan's hold, he pressed another kiss to the Russian's lips. Pulling back after a couple seconds he asked, "Sound good to you, big guy?"

"Mmhmm. We could stop by a movie rental store and pick out a movie while we're at it. Right now, I think it's time for us to get cleaned up." Ivan really, really hoped Alfred would cave in and let him shower with him. It wasn't like they were going to have sex…okay, maybe some groping here and there, or a possible handjob or blowjob, but nothing further than that. Standing up from the bed and pulling Alfred along with him, Ivan walked over to the dresser, pulling out a new batch of clothes for him and then letting Alfred chose his own. It was amazing how many of the blonde's clothes ended up in his house from Alfred staying over so much.

Alfred rummaged through his clothes and finally settled for some dark skinny jeans and a loose fitting v-neck red sweater. He'd be wearing his bomber jacket later anyway so it didn't matter what kind of shirt he wore. He'd be honest and admit that he liked the way shinny jeans cupped his ass and clung to his thighs. Speaking of thighs...Ivan had very nice ones. He'd look really good in skinny jeans. Before he could stop himself, Alfred found himself asking, "Hey Ivan, ever thought about wearing skinny jeans?" Realizing what he said he, mentally face palmed. Oh well, too late to take it back now.

"Not really." Ivan answered sheepishly. "I'm a little put off by how tight they are. They look good on others," Especially you. "-but I don't think they'd suit me." Knowing Alfred, Ivan already knew what the other was about to suggest. Ivan was a little sensitive about his build. He always thought that his thighs were a bit too thick and his hips a bit too wide. Even with the change from human to vampire, his body build remained unaltered.

Alfred smiled sheepishly and scratching his cheek he said, "Well they never struck me as your style, but I think you'd look amazing in them!" They'd hug his thighs in all the right places and accentuate them. Not to mention they'd make his butt look even wider and cuter. But if Ivan really didn't feel comfortable in them, he wouldn't pressure him to wear them. "But wear whatever you feel comfortable in Vanya." He said giving him an encouraging smile, before asking. "So which of us goes first?"

"Ah, that." Ivan began, feeling a little sly. "I was thinking that maybe the two of us could shower together? You know I wouldn't do anything you didn't want me to do." Other than put his hands all over Alfred. Then again, when wasn't he doing that?

Alfred's 'I'm-about-to-be-molested' senses were tingling. Well, it's not like he didn't trust Ivan, and really the Russian has seen him in all his naked glory. Maybe it was time to take another step forward in the physical part of their relationship. Blushing lightly, Alfred smiled nervously and said, "Uh, okay. I'm cool with that. Er, let's go!" Before Alfred could back out of it, he marched into Ivan's bathroom, put his clothes on the bathroom counter and began stripping, his back to Ivan so he'd feel less self-conscious. When he was done he looked over his shoulder to see if Ivan had finished. The Russian hadn't even begun stripping himself, having apparently decided to watch Alfred strip. Now he was eyeing Alfred up and down, causing the sunshine blonde to blush more. Swallowing a bit, Alfred tried to push down his self-consciousness. Giving Ivan a small smile he teased. "Like what you see big guy?" He even gave his hips a playful wiggle.

Licking his lips, Ivan observed Alfred's naked body with hungry eyes. "Very much so." Stepping closer to the blonde, he reached out and twined a hand into Alfred's hair. Tugging Alfred toward, he brought him into a passionate kiss, tongue coaxing the other's mouth open and weaving with Alfred's. The blonde hungrily reciprocated the kiss, pressing his nude body flush against Ivan's. He could feel every inch of Alfred against him, his skin radiating glorious warmth against Ivan's cooler body. Pulling away from the kiss just ever so slightly, Ivan whispered, voice low and a tad rough. "Why don't you undress me~?"

Alfred eagerly recuperated the kiss, moaning lightly as Ivan tangled his fingers into his hair and intertwined their tongues. He took a deep breath when Ivan pulled away, shuddering as Ivan whispered in a rough tone just millimeters from his lips. Gaining back some of his confidence, Alfred looked up into Ivan's half lidded violet eyes and purred. "What if I don't wanna?" Despite his words, he slowly unwrapped Ivan's scarf from his neck, moving his head to lead feather kisses down the Russian's scarred neck and to his collar bone until he hit the collar of Ivan's shirt. He looked up at Ivan with a mischievous smirk.

Ivan drew in a shaky breath at the attention on his neck. "And please tell me why you wouldn't want to? Surely you don't want to be the only one naked here." Ivan ran his hands up Alfred's side, his fingertips dancing along the tanned skin. Alfred shivered at the cool touch and Ivan felt a hot puff of breath on his collarbone. He ran a hand across Alfred's chest, his thumb brushing and teasing a sensitive nub.

Alfred let out a low moan as his nipple was played with. With a shaky breath, he mumbled, "Mmm, g-good point." Pulling himself away from the Russian's collar, Alfred trailed his own hands trail down Ivan's sides, appreciating the hum of approval gave at the action. Taking the hem of Ivan's shirt Alfred got an idea. Sinking down into a sort of squat he lifted up Ivan's shirt a little, just enough to kiss under his naval. As he slowly bunched the shirt up higher he would follow the shirt and leave light kisses and nips. He heard Ivan moan a bit as he reached his chest, the shirt stopping because of the Russian's arms. Mumbling against the Russian's chest, Alfred commanded, "Lift up your arms." Not needing to be told twice, Ivan did just that, allowing Alfred to throw off his shirt and continue to kiss and nip up the Russian's chest. As he kissed up Ivan's neck again he nipped a bit harder and applied a gentle suction, leaving little red marks up Ivan's paled neck. Alfred wrapped his arms around Ivan's neck and tangled his fingers in Ivan's soft and platinum blonde hair, pulling his lips down to Alfred's and giving him an impassioned kiss, his tongue tracing Ivan's cool and firm lips.

Enjoying the attention Alfred was giving his body, Ivan hummed in appreciation. Whenever Alfred bit down on his neck, he was unable to suppress the small whimper of pleasure that spilled from his lips. He felt Alfred's lips trailing back up to meet his. The blonde kissed him passionately, Alfred's tongue pressing insistently into his mouth and teasing his own. The sound of their kissing filled the pearly white bathroom, nothing but tongue and lips moving in synchronization. The Russian vampire felt his bottom lip being sucked on, a tongue massaging the soft flesh before pulling off with a gentle suck. Framing Alfred's face with his hands, Ivan flashed him an almost dark smile, his fangs showing just slightly behind his lips. "I think we should move on to the shower before this turns into something else." Alfred nodded in understanding, his hands flying to Ivan's pants and undoing the button. Letting Alfred do as he pleased, he waited as the other rid him of his pants and boxers, leaving Ivan completely in the nude. Stepping into the walk in shower, Ivan turned it on, waiting for the icy water to warm up before motioning for Alfred to join him. The blonde entered the small confines of the shower, sliding the glass door shut behind him.

Closing the somewhat transparent glass door behind him, Alfred stepped into the steaming shower. There were very few things better in life than taking a hot shower on a cold winter day. It startled Alfred a bit, but he realized he probably wouldn't have stopped Ivan from turning their little make out session into "something more". Alfred felt once again a strong, pale and wet arm wrap around his waist, pulling the American close to an equally wet and hard chest, consequently pulling Alfred into the warm steady stream of water with the Russian. He was close to the Russian, but not completely up against Ivan's chest, there was just enough space between them that Ivan could trail a finger from the top of Alfred's now wet back, down his spine to his tail bone as he began to rub that spot teasingly. Alfred shivered at the touch and moaned lightly as he felt Ivan dip his head and skim his fangs lightly over Alfred's neck. In the back of his mind he was hoping that finger rubbing his tail bone would dip just a bit lower...

Alfred shivered again and made a muffled whining noise at his train of thought. Giving a breathy laugh Alfred asked, "Why so frisky today Vanya?"

"It's hard not to be, whenever you're like this." Ivan murmured against Alfred's neck. Deciding to tease the blonde a bit, he sank his fangs in just a little, and then pulled them out, letting droplets of blood build up on Alfred's neck. Ivan licked them all away, tongue lapping hungrily at the sanguine liquid. "Mmm, just as sweet as ever…" Ivan's hand, the one that had been settled on the small of Alfred's back, began dipping lower. A single finger slid between the crevice of Alfred's cheeks and down to his hole, touching and prodding and overall making the blonde whine at the teasing.

Alfred let out a small whimper at the teasing bite, the pin prick of pain feeling good in an odd sense. The whimper turned into a low moan as he felt Ivan's tongue lap up the beads of blood on his neck, enjoying the feeling of Ivan's soft and wet tongue on his skin. Alfred gave low mewls as Ivan teased his entrance, trying to push down on the wet, calloused finger poking and rubbing just at his ring of muscle. Alfred found that he couldn't because of Ivan's grip on his waist keeping him from doing so. "God, you're such a tease Ivan." Alfred whined as he gripped the arm around his waist and wiggled his hips, trying to get more.

"I like hearing you whine for me." Ivan purred seductively, dipping his finger into Alfred's hole just slightly. He pressed it in slowly, rubbing against the blonde's walls and looking for a particular gland. He heard Alfred hiss slightly, a little uncomfortable from the lack of lubrication. Poking and prodding around a bit, Ivan smirked whenever he heard Alfred gasp loudly, his hips bucking involuntarily. "Found it~" Ivan announced in a sing-song voice. He fingered Alfred a bit more persistently, his finger jabbing into that small bundle of nerves every once in a while. Alfred rested his head against Ivan's shoulder, soft, breathy moans resonating from him.

Breathy moans soon turned lower in tone every time Ivan hit Alfred's prostate. Soon he was panting as he pushed down on Ivan's thick finger, warm breath hitting the side of Ivan's face and neck from leaning his head back on the Russian's shoulder. After a few more thrusts of Ivan's finger Alfred gave a keening moan, "A-Ah, Ivan more~" The blonde's nails dug slightly into the arm around his waist as his grip tightened in his arousal. By now Alfred's cock was almost at full mast and turning red with every jab to his sweet spot.

Ivan pressed in a second finger along with the first, causing Alfred to give a loud moan at the increase of girth. He massaged Alfred's sweet spot, drawing moans and loud mewls of pleasure from the blonde. Alfred pressed down on his fingers, urging Ivan's fingers in to the knuckle. Feeling Alfred's walls pulsing around his finger, he knew that Alfred was getting close. Withdrawing his fingers, Ivan was silently pleased to hear Alfred's whine at the loss. Dropping down to his knees in the shower, he grabbed Alfred's hips and leaned forward to give his weeping cock a languid lick. He ran his tongue down to the base, laying wet kisses and sucks all along it. Ivan licked along a throbbing vein, drawing a loud, whining moan from Alfred.

Alfred let out long and low moans, also letting small whimpers of pleasure out as Ivan teased his cock with licks, sucks and kisses. Dear god, Ivan was good at this. Those thousand years really paid off in the sex department. He felt Ivan give a slow lick up from his base to his tip, his tongue flat and smooth. Alfred let out a choked moan as Ivan's tongue swirled around his tip, collecting the pre-cum before he gingerly took the tip in his mouth. Alfred tangled both hands into Ivan's platinum locks, gripping tightly but not pressing Ivan down or anything. They just tangled into his hair so he had something to hold onto. Ivan slowly started to go down Alfred's cock, taking him in, causing Alfred to give a breathy moan as he squeezed his eyes shut from the pleasure coiling in his stomach. "V-Vanya..."

Careful not to nick Alfred with his fangs, Ivan slowly and sensually sucked on his hard member, bobbing his head as he teased Alfred with his tongue. He could feel the blonde's engorged cock pulsing in his mouth, throbbing with coiling pleasure as Ivan increased his sucking. Tan, nimble hands tangled into his hair, tugging gently and scratching at his scalp in a pleasant way. Ivan moaned around Alfred's cock, enjoying the dual sensation of the warm water cascading down his back and the fingers raking through his hair. He felt Alfred's tense under his hands, his body going rigid at the peak of pleasure before moaning loudly and releasing into Ivan's mouth. The platinum haired vampire drank down all of Alfred's cum, the white, creamy liquid tasting slightly different and better on his altered taste buds. Pulling off of Alfred's cock with a wet suck, Ivan gazed up at Alfred with half-lidded violet eyes. "How was that, Fredka?"

Alfred was panting, cheeks flushed from the warm water and from his previous arousal. Coming down from his high Alfred looked down at Ivan with half lidded blue eyes of his own, completely sated. At Ivan's question Alfred, just pulled Ivan up by his hair and gave him a slow lingering kiss. Ivan hummed in appreciation as Alfred slipped his tongue into Ivan's mouth, tasting both himself and Ivan. He drew back from the kiss just far enough to murmur against Ivan's lips his answer, "Wonderful, it was great Ivan." Skimming Ivan's jaw with his lips, he trailed soft kisses once again down Ivan's neck and chest, stopping at the Russian's dusky nipples and tracing both of them with his tongue. He heard Ivan give a soft gasp and low moan at the teasing licks. Alfred then continued downwards, slowly sinking to his knees like Ivan had earlier. Alfred pressed an open mouth kiss onto Ivan's naval, tracing the rim of his belly button with his tongue before dipping it in. He felt Ivan grunt then let out a soft moan at the strange, but pleasant feeling, enjoying the attention Alfred was paying to his body. Alfred parted once from the Russian's stomach, settling completely on his knees and nuzzling Ivan's thigh, nipping lightly at the inside of them. Alfred flicked shining sapphire eyes to meet Ivan's violet hues, giving the Russian a sincere smile. "You have really nice thighs, Vanya."

Ivan's cheeks would have turned red if they could at Alfred's compliment. "I do not." He retorted back, a bit flustered. "They're too big and bulky. I've never liked them." Despite what he thought, though, Alfred continued to nuzzle against them, placing kisses and nips along his pale skin. Ivan pursed his lips, feeling his slightly hard cock twitch at not being paid attention to. "Please, hurry…" Ivan breathed out, wanting to feel Alfred's mouth on his sensitive cock.

Alfred just chuckled at Ivan's impatience and gave his right thigh another nip, this time sucking for a moment to leave a bright red hickey. He heard Ivan suck in a breath at the bite and moan. Smirking, he moved his head so he was facing Ivan's hardening cock. He blew cool air on it, watching as it twitched and Ivan groaned at the contrast of the warm water cascading down his back and the cool air hitting his cock. Alfred used one hand to wrap around Ivan's member, moving it up and down at a tauntingly slow pace. Ivan hissed in pleasure as his member was slowly being pumped, causing him to become harder. Alfred purred, "No, your thighs are nice because they're big Vanya." That meant there was more to squeeze, kiss, nip, lick, bite, sit on, rut against… Alfred could go on and on about why he liked big thighs. They were sort of a kink for him. Alfred continued to pump Ivan's cock at his pleasurably, but infuriatingly slow pace until pre cum started to bead on his cock. 'Payback time~' Alfred thought as he took Ivan's tip into his mouth, but only the tip. He began pumping his hand faster, his other hand squeezing and holding Ivan's hips in place. Swirling his tongue on Ivan's tip, he gave him teasing licks and periodically switched with hard sucking.

"A-Ahhhhn..! S-Stop that…" Ivan moaned out at Alfred's teasing. It bothered him how the other only took the tip of his cock into his mouth. He wanted more. He wanted to feel those lips and tongue sliding down him and swallowing him up. But instead, Alfred teased him by sucking on the tip, the most sensitive part for god's sake, while his hand pumped the rest. Ivan felt himself tremble at the almost unbearable teasing, his lower body burning with pleasure. Loud moans and whimpers poured from him unmuted. Ivan felt himself buck forward a little bit, forcing his cock a little further into Alfred's mouth. He was rewarded with a hard, reprimanding pinch to his hips and the blonde firmly holding him back so he couldn't take advantage anymore. "Pl…please…give me more…stop teasing me. Fredka…" Ivan breathed out, voice light and breathy. The Russian vampire titled his head back in the spray of water, closing his eyes and parting his lips slightly as hot water pelted him and Alfred continued to mercilessly tease his painfully hard cock.

Alfred didn't appreciate the buck, but it didn't put him off too badly, so he just settled for reprimanding pinch to his hip to express his displeasure. As Ivan continued to beg him to stop teasing, he smirked a bit to himself. It was extremely erotic to hear the Russian begging and pleading for more for once. Letting out a pleased moan around Ivan's tip, he decided to keep teasing for a bit longer. After all this was revenge for all the teasing Ivan did to him. Alfred gave Ivan just a little bit of mercy by pumping his cock at an even faster rate. This earned him a low moan and some tugging on his wheat colored hair as Ivan buried a hand in Alfred's golden locks. It went on for a bit longer, Alfred teasing Ivan's tip with licks and sucking while pumping Ivan at furious rate. As he slipped the tip of his tongue into the slit at the tip of Ivan's cock, he felt Ivan tense. Before Alfred could react, Ivan came hard all over his face, unable to pull back in time. Luckily, the sunshine blonde was able to close his eyes so none of Ivan's cum got in them. The rest of Alfred's face though was covered in the vampire's seed. Sputtering in surprise, Alfred protested with his eyes shut tight and still on his knees. "I-Ivan! What the hell?! You could have at least given me a warning!" Shakily, Alfred used Ivan's body as an anchor to help get himself back up as white cum slowly dripped off his face.

Ignoring Alfred's protests, Ivan framed the blonde's face with his hands and brought him into a crushing kiss. He felt and tasted the sticky cum on Alfred's lips, his tongue swiping away the pearly white liquid before delving into Alfred's mouth. Moaning hungrily, he pushed the blonde against the shower wall, kissing him impatiently and roughly, his hands roaming Alfred's body. He bit down lightly on Alfred's lip, drawing a bead of blood and lapping it away quickly. Hands tangled into Ivan's hair, and he felt the other tugging at his soft, wet locks, trying to bring him even closer. Ivan pulled away quickly, going to lap at the now thin layer of cum coating Alfred's cheek. He licked up the blonde's cheek, cleaning it of his essence before drawing back slightly, a line of saliva connecting his tongue to Alfred's cheek.

Alfred's face currently resembled that of a tomato. Shuffling awkwardly after that extremely arousing kiss, he looked away, unable to meet Ivan's eyes. "You still could have told me you kinky jerk." Alfred wasn't so much as upset that Ivan came on his face. Actually, he'll admit even he found that erotic. He was more put off by the fact that Ivan didn't warn him. It startled Alfred when he had suddenly came. And he was embarrassed because he realized he was just as kinky as the Russian.

Pecking Alfred softly on the lips, Ivan whispered. "I'm sorry. But with that pretty, soft mouth of yours, I couldn't help myself. Now, how about we get cleaned up before the water turns too cold?" Cold water wouldn't affect Ivan at all, but Alfred was a whole different case. Reaching for the shampoo on one of the shower's shelves, Ivan picked it up and squeezed a generous dollop of it into his hand. He reached out and began lathering it into Alfred's hair, letting his fingers work the soapy suds in and massage the blonde's scalp.

Alfred huffed a bit, but returned the soft kiss. At first it confused Alfred when Ivan began scrubbing his hair, but his confusion was soon abandoned as he felt Ivan rub the soap in and scratched his scalp his tenderly. Alfred let out an appreciative hum and leaned into the touch a bit. Wrapping his arms around Ivan's waist he rested his head on Ivan's chest as the Russian washed his hair. After a couple minutes Alfred admitted reluctantly with a blush. "I-I didn't mind the fact that you came on my face, you just startled me. Just warn me next time, 'kay?" Alfred looked down at his feet awkwardly, not sure how Ivan would react to the confession.

"I'm sorry." Ivan said more sincerely this time, his voice tender and soft. "I didn't mean to startle you like that, and I won't do it again if you don't want me to." Ivan continued running his fingers along Alfred's scalp, trying to make up for his actions by relaxing Alfred. A smile forming on his face, Ivan tacked on playfully. "If it's any consolation, you look very sexy covered in my cum." He heard Alfred give an embarrassed sound, his cheeks becoming hot against Ivan's shoulder despite the already warm water. Ivan just laughed a bit at his embarrassment, finding it cute.

Alfred's face heated up in embarrassment at the last comment, but he hummed happily at the light massage his scalp was receiving. Lifting his head from Ivan's chest, he gave his neck a soft kiss and mumbled against it. "You can do it again," It was kind of hot." -just warn me. Getting cum in my eyes would hurt like a bitch." He then gave Ivan a teasing smile in return. "And for the record, it's adorable when the big, bad vampire you are begs for me not to tease you~"

Ivan bit down on his lip, trying not to give in to the natural urge to defend his dominance. He'd let Alfred get away with the comment this time to make up for his little goof-up. "Whatever." The Russian vampire said off-handedly at he let the water wash all the shampoo out of Alfred's hair. Seeing as the other was all cleaned up, Ivan went to start washing his hair next. He squirt a dollop of shampoo into his hand, reaching up to lather it in his hair.

Alfred laughed at the slightly put off, almost pouting look Ivan had from his dominance questioned. Quickly unwrapping his arms from Ivan's waist, he intercepted the hand going to wash Ivan's hair. Ivan raised an eyebrow as Alfred wiped the shampoo that he had on his hand onto his own. Reaching up to return the favor, Alfred gently carded his hand threw Ivan's soft hair, rubbing the soap in and scratching his scalp lightly like Ivan had done for him. His mischievous smile still in place, he hummed. "Y'know Vanya, you don't have to be Mr. Dominate all the time. I sure as hell won't be submissive all the time. We could switch it up from time to time." He gave Ivan's neck another soft kiss, and felt the Russian give a pleased hum. Now seemed like as good of time as any to have this conversation. Alfred didn't mind being the more submissive one most of the time, but every now and again he liked to dominate. And he was pretty damn good at it if the girls he's banged were anything to go by.

"I know that." Ivan said truthfully. Honestly, the aspect of letting anyone else top him during sex was incredibly revolting to him. But Alfred…he wouldn't mind being roughed up by Alfred. He idly wondered if he should let the blonde top whenever they first have sex… No. Ivan decided that their time together would have him dominating Alfred. He wanted to show the blonde what it was like to be pleasured completely from the inside instead of the outside. "And don't worry your pretty head. I'll be sure to let you have your turn." Ivan smiled down at Alfred, locking his hands around the blonde's waist as his hair was washed by soft hands.

Alfred smiled sincerely at Ivan cooperating with him. Leaning up he pressed a soft kiss on Ivan's lips. It might take some time, but Alfred was sure he could wrestle some control from Ivan. He'd make sure the Russian enjoyed it too. "Good." He mumbled and pulled back from the gentle kiss. Alfred continued massaging Ivan's scalp as he washed the Russian's hair. After his hair was good and lathered up Alfred stepped back a bit to let Ivan rinse he his hair off. Soon they were both out of the shower and toweling off.

Ivan was drying his hair with his towel whenever he felt something thin and damp crack at his behind. He yelped, slightly taken off guard by the little whip. Turning around, he was met with a smirking and smug looking Alfred, his towel wrung suspiciously between his hands. Ivan rubbed his bare bottom, sending the blonde a dangerous, yet playful look. "You really shouldn't have done that…" Alfred seemed to sense the implication in Ivan's word and bolted out of the bathroom, still naked and dragging a towel with him. Ivan on the other hand didn't mind chasing the other in the nude and quickly gave chase. It took him all of two seconds to flash-step to where Alfred was running and tackle him down to the floor. Ivan pinned him down by straddling his waist, making sure not to rest all of his weight on Alfred. Wagging his finger in front of the blonde, he smirked down at him victoriously. "Naughty, naughty~"

Alfred let out a gasped breath at the tackle, it having slightly winded him. Once his breathing turned to normal again, he pouted up at the Russian, rolling his eyes and sticking out his tongue childishly. He huffed, "Cheater." Really, using his supernatural abilities was totally cheating in Alfred's book. In response to the finger being tauntingly waved in his face he made a playful attempt at biting it, and missed terribly. All he got for his efforts was low chuckle from the vampire currently sitting on him. With yet another huff, Alfred crossed his arms over his chest waiting for the Russian to do something, like getting off would be appreciated.

Watching as Alfred crossed his arms and waited impatiently for Ivan to get off, the Russian vampire merely returned the eye-roll and hopped off of Alfred. He offered a hand down and helped the blonde up to his feet. Heading towards the bathroom, they dressed themselves in their clothing of choice. Walking out of the bathroom and back into the living room, Ivan retrieved a book he had been reading a week ago before his and Alfred's short hiatus from each other. He took a seat on the couch, flipping back to where he left off. "Oh, don't forget to call your friends. We'll be leaving in a small bit, okay?" Ivan spoke without looking up, his sensitive hearing alerting him to Alfred's footsteps.

Alfred blinked at the reminder, then face palmed over having forgotten that. "Thanks big guy!" Alfred called as he turned and padded back to Ivan's bedroom where Alfred's cellphone was thankfully still in his jacket pocket. He quickly grabbed it and returned to the living room where Ivan was reading some novel. Alfred was 95% sure that it was written in Russian. Plopping down a comfortable distance away from the Russian, he asked him while scrolling through his contacts, trying to find Arthur and Francis's apartment number. "Hey, watcha reading?"

"The Forthcoming Ham." Ivan replied casually. "Remember whenever we talked about literature in the café that day? It's by Dmitry Merezhkovsky. It was published shortly after the events of the 1905 Bloody Sunday massacre." Ivan had to suppress a shiver at the mention of the date. "It pretty much details his views on the Russian monarchy at the time and expresses their 'anti-Christian nature'." He flipped a page, never allowing his eyes to drift off of the book. He'd read it many times over, but he didn't mind reading it again. It was interesting to see things from a different perspective and Ivan appreciated Merezhkovsky's work.

"Uh, sounds interesting." Alfred mumbled, then let out a victorious "Ha-ha!" As he finally located their number. Hitting the call button, he pressed the phone to his ear as it rang. 'Please let Francis pick up, please let Francis pick up!' Alfred chanted in his head. Life would be so much easier if Francis picked up, considering Arthur would probably yell at him and nag him for hours. The phone was picked up on the second ring and a slightly hopeful British accent came from the receiver. "Alfred?" 'Shit.' Letting out a sheepish laugh Alfred answered. "Hiya, uh Artie. What's shaken?" Okay, that was weak, even coming from Alfred.

"Alfred? It IS you! Wha…where the bloody hell have you been, you damn idiot?! Not contacting us for an entire week…you had us worried sick, you buffoon! Don't you realize that you have people who'd like to know whether or not you're safe? Wait…where are you? Are you with that damn Russian? Well, get on with it! Answer me!" Arthur yelled angrily across the phone, a little peeved that Alfred had the audacity to call and greet him like there wasn't a thing wrong in the world. Francis peeked from around the corner in the kitchen, eyeing his lover with a strange expression. That was definitely Alfred, alright.

Alfred had held the phone away from his ear at a safe distance during that whole rant. When he figured his ear drums were safe from being busted, he tentatively put the phone back to his ear. With a sigh he addressed Arthur. "Yeah, I'm at Ivan's flat right now. And before you say anything, no, I hadn't talked to Ivan all last week either until like Friday. And the reason I hadn't contacted you was because I found out all three of yours little secret. You know how you all are part of the undead." Alfred hope got what he was hinting at. He'd explain about how he found out in a second. He just wanted to let that information sink in a little.

Arthur held the phone to his ear, taken off guard and completely shocked. "I…" What could he honestly say? 'Yes, I'm a vampire and I survive by feeding off the living?' So instead, he merely sat there with the phone held numbly to his ear.

By this time, Francis had stopped hiding around the corner and had walked into the living room to stand beside Arthur. He knew from the look on Arthur's face what he had just been told. Taking the phone from the stunned Brit, the Frenchman held it up to face. "Alfred, before I say anything else, I just want to say that you shouldn't be up late watching scary movies. They always give you these extremely weird thou-" He was cut off by the American on the other end.

Alfred stopped the French man right in his tracks, "Francis, I haven't watched a horror movie in a couple weeks. And the last one was about zombies! No, I know all three of you are vampires. I found out last Friday, when my suppressed memories of Ivan feeding off me came back." There was another long pause, and Alfred took this chance to explain the whole story. "Okay, let me explain. I don't know why, but all this past month and a half I'd had dreams about the first time Ivan fed off me. They started off really vague and I'd more or less try to forget about them since I just brushed them off as nightmares. Last week, I finally had a vivid recount of the incident and woke up, told Ivan about my crazy 'dream'. I was staying over at his place that night, just FYI. And when he paused, I just ...I knew it wasn't a dream, and so I freaked out and ran out of his flat half naked all the way to my dorm. Well, I had a cry fest that night and I was going to call and tell you guys what I'd found out, but then I realized that you had the same suspicious behaviors as Ivan and figured out you were vampires too. I got scared and I felt so betrayed, so I didn't call you guys. So all last week I was moping around, feeling angry, hurt, scared and betrayed by you guys and avoided ya. Then last Friday night I thought about it and realized that even after finding out Ivan's true nature...I still loved him and that I was being stupid and throwing away the best damn things that have happened to me since I started college. So I went to Ivan's place and found he wasn't there, I fell asleep waiting for him and we made up. Then yesterday I was working and Ivan was answering my questions about the vampire world and I just got around to calling you guys." Alfred took a deep breath from his long winded explanation. "I-I'm sorry I worried you guys, I really am." Alfred mumbled sincerely over the phone as he glanced down at his toes guiltily, like a teenager who hadn't told his parents where he was going and came home late, only to find their parents stayed up all night waiting for them, having been worried sick.

"Ahh," Francis gave a sound of realization, seeing that there was no need to panic about the situation. Alfred both knew their true nature and accepted them for it, so there was no need for Arthur's shocked behavior. Turning to the Brit, Francis mouthed "It's okay" in his direction and then turned his attention back to the phone. "Well…this is certainly a strange turn of events. I hope you don't think any less of us, Alfred. You do realize we were just trying to protect you. Humans don't often get involved in the vampire world, and whenever they do it can prove to be quite dangerous." Francis's thoughts briefly flickered to the moment where Alfred first mentioned Ivan stalking him. That was a perfect example, although it was severely outdated and irrelevant since the two were romantically involved now. "Not to change the topic, but how are you, mon cher? And what about your Russian lover?" Francis caught Arthur's irritated look the Brit sent him at his casual behavior after such a shocking revelation. Francis merely ignored it, choosing to smile at Arthur instead.

"No, I understand your reasons for keeping me in the dark. I'm still a bit upset about it in a sense, but I'm getting over it. And it's weird trying to grasp that you guys, like, kill people, but ...I'm getting there." Alfred gave a small and hesitant smile as he tried to explain his feelings on the subjects. It was a relief that the more awkward and stressing part of the conversation was over. He had Francis's relatively level headed personality to thank for that. The Frenchman was dramatic, but he very rarely freaked out or blew his fuse. Alfred was pretty sure if he was still talking to Arthur, he'd be ranting at Alfred about something. At Francis's other questions, he let a more relaxed smile form as he answered with a laugh. "I'm pretty good now. Still getting used to the whole vampire thing like I said. Today for date day or night, we decided to just chill and watch a movie later. We're actually about to go out for lunch and ice cream, too! Um, Ivan's fine, I mean as far as I can tell. I mean if ya really want to know what he's feelin' and stuff you'll have to ask him." Alfred laughed and rubbed the back of his head with the last part. At least Francis hadn't started prying into the...private part of their relationship. Yet that is. "I can put him on if ya want, He's just reading next to me, so yeah." He was pretty sure though that Ivan had heard the question anyway, with his freaky super hearing and stuff.

"Let me talk to him." Ivan said imperatively, holding out his hand for the phone. Alfred handed him the cellphone. The Russian took it without looking away from his book. "Privyet, Francis. I assume this is who I'm talking to?"

"Oui, it is. I see Alfred is in the know about out kind." Francis' voice was light and casual. At his next words though, his voice dropped a tone or two. "You know, you should be careful. Alfred is not as…durable…as we are. There are many vampires out there who'd love to spite you by killing him." Walking over to the loveseat in their living room, Francis took a seat, crossing one leg over the other as he relaxed into the cushions. "There are only so many ways this can end, Ivan. The most prominent ways is Alfred either dies as a human or becomes one of us. Whatever happens if left up to you. But if YOU somehow manage to cause his death, rest assured there will be a debt to pay." Francis kept his voice flat and even, not betraying his words at all.

Ivan was the same, merely keeping his usual, slightly dark smile on his face. "Da, I understand. You don't have to worry about Alfred. I will take good care of him. No harm will come to him while he is with me. As for the other part, I understand that as well. But we shall, as a lot of people like to put it, cross that bridge whenever it comes time to do so, hmm?"

"Oui, I see." Francis looked up at Arthur, who was standing there impatiently with his hand held out for the phone. "Well, Arthur is in a hurry to speak to Alfred, so I must go now. I wish you two the best in your relationship." Francis handed the phone the Arthur, and it was promptly snatched out of his hand. Ivan did the same, handing it to Alfred, though the American was more civil about taking the phone from him.

Arthur waited for Alfred to speak and finally heard a slightly nervous 'Hey Artie' from him. "Oh, so that's all you have to say after you little one-week hiatus you pulled on us? No calls? No notifications of anything? Do you realize how worried sick we were? I hope you're proud of yourself, Alfred."

Alfred flinched a bit at the Brit's words. He really did feel bad, but couldn't he try and see this from Alfred's perspective at the time? "Arthur, listen. I really am sorry for doing that, it was wrong. But how would you feel if suddenly you found out that everyone you trusted had being lying to you? Especially if they were hiding the fact that they were the creatures that go bump in the night, the horror stories or badly written romance that everyone reads, but is told they're not real! I was scared Arthur, I was hurt, I felt betrayed. Would you really want to talk to the people who made you feel that way? As I already told Francis and I'm sure you've heard if that freaky super hearing thing comes with the whole vampire package, I eventually was able to realize I was being stupid. None of you would hurt me, intentionally, and I understand why you didn't tell me before. And all I can really say is I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you because the thought that you would didn't cross my mind. I'm sorry, I really, truly am sorry Artie." Alfred's tone during his whole monologue started off hard, but softened towards the middle and in the end, his voice was sincere. He was truly hoping that Arthur would see this through his point of view, and try to understand why Alfred didn't call and realize that he really was sorry. He didn't want the Brit mad at him, at least not seriously mad at him anymore. It made him feel every bit as bad as if Arthur were really his brother. Like how when Mattie was still around, he didn't like seriously making his twin mad at him. There was a long pause at the other end. Alfred held his breath as he waited for Arthur's response. Soon what sounded like long sigh came from the other end.

"It's…okay. God, alright. It's fine. I'm sorry for going off on you like that. But I swear, you can be so hard-headed and brash sometimes Alfred. One day, it's seriously going to get you hurt. But you don't have to apologize anymore. It's…fine, I suppose." Arthur felt slightly awkward now that he was apologizing. It was something that he didn't do unless he absolutely felt it necessary. "As long as he's treating you okay and isn't forcing you to stay in this mess…well, that's okay with me. It might irk the bloody hell out of me, but it can't be helped. You're a big boy and can take care of yourself." Arthur found himself repeating the exact same words Ivan had said to him that day at the ice-skating rink. As much as he'd like to believe otherwise, it was true. "When can we expect another visit from you? It's been a while, you know."

At Arthur's words, Alfred couldn't help the grin that slowly spread on his face. He was happy that the Brit no longer held any hard feelings toward him. "Thanks Artie. And don't worry, he's a jerk sometimes, but I don't let him bully me~!" He laughed and nudged Ivan with his foot, giving him a teasing smile. Ivan just rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching up a bit though as he lightly smacked Alfred's foot in reprimand way before going back to his book. It meant a lot to Alfred that Arthur finally accepted their relationship. Not that he needed it, he still would have and has been dating the Russian without it, but it made things easier in a way and it was the sentiment that counted. Alfred blinked and licked his lips in thought at Arthur's question, "Um...whenever next week I guess. Just let me know when you want me! My schedule is pretty much the same. After the holiday though, I'll be studying my butt off for the midterms. They were nice enough to have them a couple weeks after the holiday break so that we're not stressing about how we did over the holiday!" Besides, Francis and Arthur knew he spent Sundays with Ivan, and any other days were good with him after classes and work.

"Alright then." Arthur sighed, at least glad that the conflict was over. "Make sure to check in every once in a while. It makes us feel better to know that you're not vampire food." Arthur heard a nervous laugh from the other end, but just passed it off as Alfred being his usual self. "I'll see you sometime next week Alfred. Goodbye." Arthur heard a corresponding goodbye on the other end and then hung the phone up. He sighed again, this time a lot more relieved. At least Alfred was okay, and if anything, in the presence of good protection. Although Arthur still didn't trust Ivan that much, he did have enough faith in him to believe that he would protect Alfred. "Francis, we have to go out for dinner soon." Arthur announced, walking away into the kitchen. He wondered what Francis would get them into tonight…

Ivan watched as Alfred hung up his cellphone and pocketed it. Marking his spot in the book, Ivan closed it and then set it on the coffee table. "Are you ready to leave now?" Ivan asked in an airy voice. It was around 3 in the afternoon, and if they were going to go out to "eat" (at least in Alfred's case) and rent a movie, they needed to do it before sundown.

Alfred hopped up off the couch and stretched his arms a bit with a chipper, "Yep!" He then turned to face Ivan with sheepish smile and pointed at the bite mark on his neck. "Eh heh, Artie'll blow a gasket once he sees this huh?" Normal people would think it was a hickey or bug bite. Arthur on the other hand would know exactly what it is. Well, at least seeing him trying to maim Ivan while he and Francis try and hold the irate Brit back will be funny...

"There might be more than that by the time they lay eyes on you." Ivan spoke suggestively, poking the blonde gently in the side as he headed for the door. Since Alfred was willingly letting Ivan drink from him now, he wasn't sure how much he'd be able to keep himself from doing so. Of course, he was also taking Alfred's health into mind as well, so it couldn't be too much…but just because he bites a lot doesn't mean he necessarily wouldn't drain the blonde of a lot of blood each time.


	11. Special Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update, since I was late 1 day. So there will be 2 chapters tonight, including this one and the next chapter.

They left the flat and in no time were out into the midst of the city. As promised Ivan stopped by the ice-cream parlor and bought a towering cone of different flavors of ice-cream for Alfred. He was a little amazed at how fast Alfred gulped the entire thing down, though it did result in a painful brainfreeze for the other and caused Ivan to almost fall out of his seat laughing at it. From there, they walked around for a small bit before coming across a movie rental store. As they browsed through some movie titles, mostly French ones, Ivan asked Alfred over the top of the shelf. "What kind of movie do you want to watch tonight?" Ivan had briefly picked up something about scary movies and nightmares over Alfred's phone call but had made nothing much of it at the time.

Alfred rubbed his chin as he looked up in thought. "Y'know, I really haven't watched a horror movie in a while. Artie refuses to watch them with me anymore and I sure as hell won't watch them with Francis." The pervert would probably molest the American in his state of...um, heroic tension. 'Cause he wasn't scared, nope, horror movies didn't scare him at all. Making a bee line toward the horror section, Ivan tailing behind him at a leisurely pace, he looked over his shoulder at the Russian and asked, "Are you cool with horror, or did you wanna watch something else?"

"Horror is perfectly fine with me." To be honest, Ivan found the horror genre very stale. Especially the ones that portrayed vampires. As if the Twilight books were a pain, he'd also been forced to watch the movie adaption. Ivan thought he'd never face-palmed more in one night in his entire existence. Some people just had no clue how it really worked…Walking back to the counter with Alfred, they checked out the movie and paid the cashier the money for it. Walking outside, Ivan saw that it was already almost dark. There was barely any light left from the sun, and the streets were empty of its usual crowd, the cold weather having kept everyone inside. A shower of snow had begun drizzling down from the sky, bathing the city in a soft blanket of white. Turning to Alfred, Ivan smiled. "Do you want to take the express or walk?" By the 'express', Ivan meant himself of course.

"We're totally walking dude. Tonight's too pretty not to walk!" As much as Alfred disliked the cold, he'd always loved snow. Despite being a nineteen year old college student he wasn't afraid to admit that he loved playing in the snow still; making snow men, sledding, snowball fights, the whole shebang. Maybe if it sticks tomorrow, he can convince the Russian to play with him in the snow? The thought made Alfred smile like a giddy kid. Wrapping his arm around Ivan's waist, he snuggled into the Russian in a vain attempt to warm himself more. Like he said, he hated the cold though it did give him and excuse to cuddle close while they walked back to Ivan's flat and admired the snow. "Hey Vanya, what's your favorite thing about winter? Or if ya don't like winter period, what makes it even a little tolerable?" He asked looking up at Ivan with curious blue eyes.

"I don't really like winter…or snow…" Ivan admitted glumly. Not so many good memories of the winter for him. "But I suppose I do like it whenever it's a bright night out, and the ground is covered in snow. The way the light from the moon reflects off of the snow is beautiful; it's like a sea of thousands of glowing crystals. I also love the way the air smells, too. It's very crisp and fresh and has that unique scent of snow to it. And nights whenever it's a blizzard outside, I like to stay in my bedroom under the covers and watch it through the window. It's a very comforting feeling, I suppose. Do you understand what I mean by that?" Okay, so there were some things Ivan could appreciate about winter…times were much easier now, but back then, winter was a force of evil to be reckoned with.

Alfred's smile softened as he looked straight ahead after hearing Ivan's response. "Hmm, yeah I feel ya. Not one for winter either. When I was younger, I hated getting up for school and leaving my nice and warm bed. Gah, I'm a real cold baby." Alfred laughed a bit as he admitted this. "But I've always loved the snow. It's fun to play in and it's beautiful and snowy nights are super romantic. But I'd say my favorite part about winter is bundling up in blankets inside, drinking hot chocolate with a fire goin' and watching old Christmas specials or cartoons in my PJ's. Me...me and my old boyfriend used to do that and cuddle ...It was nice though, y'know?" Alfred's eyes saddened a bit at the bittersweet memory, before he shook his head. That was done and dead in the past. He had Ivan now and was madly in love with him. Smiling sheepishly up at the Russian, he scratched his cheek with his free hand, "Kinda dorky of me, huh?

"Not at all. Actually, I understand you perfectly." Ivan felt a twinge of jealousy at the mention of Alfred's old boyfriend, but ignored it. Instead, he wanted to focus on making Alfred happy right now instead of rehashing old, bad memories. "Whenever we arrive home, I can make you some hot chocolate. And I mean the genuine type of hot chocolate, not the one with the cheap powder mix. I also have some marshmallows, if you like those as well." Ivan has some Ferrero Roche chocolate that he'd been meaning to put to use for a while now. It wasn't as romantic as his original intentions for it had been – don't ask – but it was good enough. "I can fetch a puffy comforter from the storage closet if you'd like, too. You can wrap yourself up in that while we watch the movie." Judging by the way the snow was beginning to fall now, it would probably turn into a winter wonderland within an hour or two. It was pretty close to the description Alfred had given him, minus the Christmas specials and the fireplace.

Alfred smiled up at Ivan like an excited child, blue eyes sparkling in mirth and hope. "Really?" When Alfred saw Ivan look at him from the corner of his nodding with a soft smile, Alfred practically let out a squeal. A manly squeal to end all manly squeals, wrapping his other arm around Ivan's waist to interlock with his hand he stopped the both of them. Leaning up he planted a big kiss on the Russians cheek and grinned at the Russian, declaring. "Oh my god, Vanya! You're the best!" He released the Russian and began pulling him by the hand impatiently. Their earlier walk was forgotten as he wanted to get to Ivan's flat fast and cuddle up to the Russian in a warm comforter and hot chocolate as they watched the horror movie. Hey, maybe with all that Alfred wouldn't freak out as much.

Once again surprised at Alfred's strange strength, Ivan let himself be pulled along all the way back to his flat. Alfred literally rushed into his home, not allowing them to stop for even a breath. Whenever they arrived, Alfred had found himself winded and all but collapsed on Ivan's couch. While Alfred was busy trying to catch his breath, Ivan was barely affected by the physical activity, his body much too used to rigorous movement like that. Flicking on the living room lamp and then heading to the kitchen, Ivan pulled out a mug. He filled a small sauce pot with some milk and set it on the stove to let it boil. Going back to his cabinets, he fetched a pack of Ferrero Roche chocolate and began unboxing it. Dropping a few spheres of rich chocolate into the mug, he went back to the stove a couple of minutes later to find that his milk was steaming and boiling hot. From inside the living room, Ivan could hear some shuffling and could only assume that Alfred was trying to either locate his DVD player or figure out how it works. Laughing a bit to himself, Ivan turned the stove top off and carried the pot of boiling chocolate over to the mug. Careful not to burn himself, knowing that if he did it wouldn't hurt as much as it should have, he poured the boiling milk into the heat resistant mug and allowed the chocolate to melt into the liquid. Going back to the cabinet to retrieve the marshmallows – he'd almost forgotten them – he sprinkled a couple of the puffy white sugar puffs into the hot chocolate and watched as the bottom half of them melted almost instantly. Deeming his work acceptable, Ivan turned off the kitchen light and headed into the living room. Luckily, Alfred had gotten the DVD player working and had their horror movie on the title screen with some ominous music playing. The look of terror that was already building in Alfred's eyes was enough to let Ivan know that this movie was going to be interesting.

He sat Alfred's mug down, and went off to the storage closet to retrieve a spare comforter, stroking the top of Alfred's hair as he went. Returning back into the living room, Ivan flicked the lamp off, bathing the room in the creepy bluish glow of the DVD's title screen. He draped the puffy white comforter around Alfred before taking a seat on the couch and pulling the blonde again him. Alfred sipped at his hot chocolate, the DVD player's remote sitting on his lap. Snatching it from Alfred, Ivan pressed the play button and looked over at the blonde. "Is everything the way you want it?"

Alfred cuddled into Ivan's side happily. He nearly burnt his tongue off with his first sip of hot chocolate, but it was totally worth it. It was absolutely delicious. Feeling warm and happy with chocolaty goodness in a cup and a nice big Russian to cuddle with, Alfred could only think of one thing that would make this moment better. Smiling up coyly at the Russian, he spoke. "For the most part there's just one thing missing~" He pointed to his lips and made a kissy face, hoping Ivan would get the message that he wanted a kiss.

Only too happy to oblige to Alfred's wants, Ivan inclined his head, tilting it just ever so slightly, and pressed an open mouthed kiss to the blonde. It was just a simple kiss, with a stroke or two of the tongue, but nothing to get all hot and flustered about. That could come later, whenever they were possibly done with the movie and were in the mood for something more. Ivan drew back with a sigh, letting his cool, icy-sweet smelling breath fan across Alfred's face. He turned his attention to the TV as the beginning credits of the movie were being shown. Feeling arms wrap around his left one, Ivan settled back into the couch and let himself be cuddled by Alfred. So far, the movie seemed relatively innocent, though time would tell whether or not that was true.

Nope, Alfred was an over optimistic fool for believing he wouldn't be freaking out because of the magic of hot chocolate, comforters, and cuddles. Not even they could have prevented the inevitable horror that filled Alfred up as he watched a woman in the movie have her soul violently devoured by a ghost who looked like a deranged little girl. Throughout the whole movie, Alfred had been steadily hiding farther and farther into the Russian's arm, he terror growing as the movie progressed.

Now Alfred was currently hiding under the comforter Ivan had gotten him, the hot chocolate mug discarded on the other side of the couch (luckily Alfred had finished his drink by the time he'd flung it to the side by accident when he jumped at one scene), trembling on the Russian's lap and burying his face in the crook of Ivan's neck, periodically peeking back at the TV only to yelp and rebury his face in the Russian's neck. The room was filled with the sounds of the movie and Alfred chanting "FucknofucknoDON'TGOINTHERE." as well as a slew of other curse words, yelps and the periodic whimpers whenever something happened. The American was so caught up in his fear that he didn't even realize that the Russian he was currently using as a giant teddy bear for protection and comfort was being unusually silent, only periodically petting Alfred's wheat colored hair in a soothing way and cooing soft shhh's.

Ivan managed to keep himself from smiling at Alfred's apparent fear. Instead, he kept his face relaxed into a neutral expression, not at all deterred by the movie or it's over-the-top gore and graphics. Instead, he focused on petting's Alfred's hair, stroking his cheek lovingly, and letting himself be squeezed and cuddled whenever the blonde felt like cowering into him. The movie progressed quickly since the action had picked up, and one by one all the characters began dying off, starting with the slutty blonde woman, to the pot-head delinquent, then the "badass" anti-hero, and finally all the way down to the main protagonist and his love interest, which was unsurprisingly a girl. As with most horror movies in the modern era, it ended with a "surprise" ending, where both characters were killed in a last second pop-up scare. Alfred nearly jumped off the couch, and actually managed to flip it halfway off its front feet. Ivan leaned forward quickly, resting his weight down and keeping the blonde from doing so. The room went pitch black as the credits started rolling in an eerie red text. Alfred was shaking like a leaf against Ivan's arm, his fingers digging into the vampire's clothing and skin tightly. Running a soothing hand through Alfred's hair, Ivan cooed to the blonde, trying to hush his whimpers of fear. "Shh, it was only a movie. Nothing like that exists, and you know it." Well…maybe not the best choice of words. Ivan was a vampire and technically they shouldn't exist. The Russian vampire decided he should try something different. "I'm here Fredka, shhh. I won't let anything hurt you. They'll have to go through me first, and I'm not exactly easy to kill." Ivan wrapped his arms around Alfred, rocking back and forth slightly as the other slowly began to calm a little. Alfred was still thoroughly freaked out though and it would take a lot of coaxing to talk the blonde down from his panicky state.

Alfred felt himself calm immensely as Ivan's thick and strong arms wrapped around him gently, but securely. He rocked the both of them back and forth slightly. After a couple minutes of Ivan holding and stroking Alfred comfortingly, Alfred's breathing returned to a relatively normal rate and he had stopped trembling. He was still, however, very tense and would look around look around the room in paranoia. At Ivan's words of comfort, Alfred breathed a sigh of relief, but scowled and glared up pitifully at Ivan with moist blue eyes. "I-I don't need protecting, I'm the hero! I am just, um...comforting you, 'cause that movie was scary!" Alfred really appreciated Ivan's words and actions despite his own weak protest, but he still had a reputation and his pride to uphold. He wiggled out Ivan's hold to the Russian's surprise and amusement. Alfred tried to put on a confident grin despite how he was clutching the comforter that Ivan gave him around him like his life depended on it. Alfred's voice trembled at the beginning of his suggestion, "L-Let's just get going to bed big guy." Bending over to retrieve the remote that had been safely placed on the coffee table in front of the couch, he clicked off the movie as Ivan just shook his head at Alfred's antics. Once the room was bathed in darkness, in some very bad timing the ice maker in Ivan's fridge decided to turn on, making a loud grinding sound that filled the kitchen and traveled to the living room. The sudden loud noise caused Alfred to yelp once again and launch himself at Ivan who, not expecting the other blonde's weight to crash into him, fell over onto the couch. Both of their momentums thus sent the couch toppling backwards, with both blondes falling on top of each other.

"Alfred…" Ivan chastised lightly, his arms wrapping around Alfred despite the ordeal. Deciding to forgo the verbal punishment this time, Ivan merely released on of his arms from around Alfred's waist and grabbed his chin. He directed the other's mouth down to his, sealing their lips in a moist, soft kiss. Ivan ran his tongue over Alfred's lips, wetting them and both tasting at the same time. The blonde's lips parted and a warm, sweet breath fanned over Ivan's own lips. Ivan connected the lips again in an open mouthed kiss, his tongue running slowly over Alfred's and teasing the other into action. The platinum haired vampire felt his tongue being sucked greedily into Alfred's mouth, soft and warm lips conforming against his and moving in perfect sync.

They way Alfred had fallen had him lying between Ivan's legs, so the Russian could feel the blonde's hips against his and the way they moved against him, creating a pleasant type of friction between their clothed members. Letting his hands slide down Alfred's clothed back, Ivan only stopped whenever they slid over the globes of Alfred's ass. He gave it a tight squeeze and pressed the American down into him. A loud moan resonated from Alfred, a bit muffled by their conjoined lips. Alfred really did have an amazing behind, if Ivan could say so himself. He felt the strong urge to smack it, just to see how the other would react. He refrained from doing so though, knowing that the clothing would only hinder the full effect of the slap.

Alfred moaned into Ivan's mouth as the Russian's large hands gave his ass a delightful squeeze as he pressed the American closer. The sweet friction between their now grinding hips on his member and the teasing tongue in his mouth all but drove his previous fear out the window, his terror slowly being replaced by arousal. As Alfred pulled his lips away from the kiss to catch his breath, he looked down at Ivan in slight confusion, though his cheeks were flushed a slight pink from their little make out session. "I-Ivan?" He asked as he tried to see Ivan's face clearly in the dark. His glasses were askew on his nose from their fall and make out session. Alfred was confused as to what prompted this seemingly random make out session from Ivan, not that he was complaining, but usually people got annoyed with his masochistic tendencies with horror movies. They didn't want to molest him, unless that person was Francis.

Detecting the confusion in Alfred's voice, Ivan merely chucked and framed the others face with his hands. He straightened out Alfred's glasses so that he could see better. "You were so cute during the movie that I couldn't help myself. After all, you were literally throwing yourself on to me. How could I not want to touch you afterwards~?" As if to punctuate his meaning, Ivan gave a sharp buck upwards, jostling Alfred and making him moan heavily. Bringing the blonde down for another sweet kiss, Ivan whispered against his lips afterwards. "Do you want to move this to the bedroom…?"

Alfred decided not to argue over the cute moment right now. Instead, he enjoyed the soft kiss Ivan gave him. Feeling a shiver going down his spine at the cool breath on his moist lips as Ivan whispered against them, Alfred mumbled back with a blush. "Yeah, sure." This was better than cowering against Ivan as he tried to fall asleep like he originally intended to do. Ivan smirked against his lips before giving his bottom lip a quick nibble. Ivan sat up and hooked his hands together under Alfred's bum, lifting him up as he swiftly stood up again. Ivan's fast actions caused him to yelp as he wrapped his legs around the Russian's waist and encircled Ivan's neck with his arms to steady himself as he held Alfred up with arms under his bottom. Alfred was about to protest the vampires actions, but was halted when Ivan pressed an open mouth kiss to his mouth. Alfred moaned as Ivan thoroughly and hungrily ran his tongue over every inch of his wet cavern. Alfred responded by tightening his legs around Ivan's waist and intertwining his tongue with Ivan' as the Russian walked towards his bedroom.

Placing Alfred down gently on the bed, Ivan crawled slowly in between his legs. He skimmed his way back up to Alfred's mouth before claiming it in a wet kiss. He sucked the blonde's bottom lip into his mouth – always one of his favorite things to do while kissing Alfred – and sucked on it gently, reveling in the taste of Alfred. Releasing Alfred's bottom lip, he felt the smaller man pull him back into another crushing kiss, lips pressing tightly against his and tongue flooding into his mouth. Humming into the kiss, Ivan allowed his hands to trail down Alfred's body, eliciting shivers as he went. He opened his violet eyes and turned his head slightly towards the window as Alfred refocused his lips on Ivan's jawline. As predicted, it was a howling blizzard outside, the city and the surrounding landscape bathed in sparkling white.

Ivan continued snaking his hand down Alfred's body, palming the blonde's clothed cock and causing Alfred to moan lustfully. His fingers played teasingly with the hem of Alfred's clothing, threatening to dive under at any moment. Sending Alfred a half-lidded gaze, Ivan asked in a low voice. "What would you like me to do, Fredka?"

Alfred moaned at the teasing fingers brushing just under the edge of his clothing. At Ivan's question, he felt himself hesitate. He didn't know how to describe it, he just wanted more. The idea of their usual ways of getting off didn't feel like enough anymore. He wanted Ivan to make love to him, to fuck him. Alfred felt his heart speed up. Was he really sure? Did he really want this now? Hesitantly he looked back into Ivan's half lidded eyes and shuddered. Yes, yes he wanted this now. Alfred took a deep calming breath, his heart still drumming loudly in his chest in both want and nervousness. Alfred leaned up to place a hard kiss on Ivan's lips, his arms trailing from the Russian's scarfed neck to clench at his jacket. Pulling back from the kiss, he withdrew the tongue that had been tracing Ivan's smooth lips. He smiled up shakily at the Russian and said with a sure voice despite his nervous smile, "Take me, I want you to take me tonight."

Ivan smiled slowly at the request. He brought Alfred's hand to his lips, kissing the knuckles softly before sinking down lower on the blonde. "Your wish is my command." He dug his fingers under the material of Alfred's pants and began tugging them off. Once they were shed and on the floor, he spread the blonde's legs with his hands and stroked Alfred's inner thigh. Alfred shivered under Ivan's cool touch, little goosebumps popping up on his skin. Inclining his head a bit, Ivan kissed the inside of Alfred's thigh, his cool and smooth lips pleasant against the American's feverish skin. Ivan licked the spot where he kissed, wetting and moistening the skin up for what was about to come. Sending Alfred a fanged smile, he lowered his head back to the blonde's inner thigh and bit down gently. His fangs sank through Alfred's skin easily, like a hot knife cutting through butter. Alfred jerked a little bit, unused to being bitten in such a low, sensitive place. Sucking on the bite wound, Ivan drew Alfred's sweet, thick, and creamy blood into his mouth. Humming contently at the always delicious taste of Alfred, Ivan allowed himself to drink slowly and relish in the flavor of the blood. God, Alfred was just always so…so warm, and sweet, and fragrant, and god…he was amazing.

Alfred threw his head back onto the bed under him. Letting out a low and drawn out moan at the pleasurable sucking sensation on his thigh, Alfred gripped the sheets in one hand and used the other to comb through Ivan's hair and tug gently. Alfred moaned a breathier moan this time as he mumbled, "I-Ivan". Hoisting himself up on the arm that was currently gripping the sheets, he peered at the ashen blonde man in between his legs. Just then Ivan retracted his fangs and ran his smooth and cool tongue over the open wound, collecting the extra beads of blood that threatened to dribble down Alfred's tanned thigh. Aroused sapphire eyes met cool but hungry amethyst eyes as Ivan gave him another fanged smile, his pearly white fangs tinted red with Alfred's blood. Alfred shivered, because under the moonlight with his platinum hair, it looked almost silver as the fringe of his bangs barely hide his eyes. Ivan never looked so dangerously beautiful, like a predator. And Alfred was loving it. Alfred tangled his other hand in Ivan's locks and brought the Russian back up to his lips, tasting his own blood as he swept his tongue around every crevice of Ivan's mouth. As they shared this bloody kiss Ivan, wrapped an arm around Alfred's waist and tangled his other hand into wheat colored locks as he raised them into a sitting position, Ivan sitting on his knees while Alfred was straddling his lap. Ivan trailed the hand that was intertwined in Alfred's hair down his neck and spine, causing Alfred to shiver. Cupping one of Alfred's lower cheeks in his hand, he gave it a firm squeeze again. Alfred let out a low moan, not suppressing the urge this time. Ivan lifted his hand and gave Alfred's bottom a heavy swat. Alfred cried out at the sudden strike, but moaned as his cocked twitched. He flushed in slight embarrassment at the reveal of this particular kink of his.

"Ooh, Fredka likes a little bit of pain~?" Ivan purred seductively. He licked his blood tainted lips and then leaned forward and licked the remainder of the blood off of Alfred's. Letting his violet eyes cloud with magic, Ivan caught Alfred in his stare, letting the magic seep into him and arouse his body. It only took a few seconds and then Alfred was panting slightly, trying to squeeze his legs together to try and alleviate the sudden pressure on his cock. Ivan smiled sweetly, raising the blonde up a bit and helping him slide off his boxers. Alfred's semi-hard cock sprang free from underneath the clothing, the head already wet with precum. Ivan leaned forward and gave it a teasing lick, making Alfred shiver and moan. Drawing back, Ivan once again licked his lips. "Mmm, let's drag this out. This is supposed to be special, after all." Ivan left Alfred's throbbing cock alone for the moment and opted to focus his lips elsewhere. He began leading a trail of kisses up Alfred's stomach, pushing the American's cotton shirt up as he went. A perked nipple came into Ivan's view and he quickly took it into his mouth and began sucking. He teased it with his tongue, working the small piece of skin into a tight and sensitive bud between his lips. Alfred whimpered, shuddering delightfully under Ivan's touch. Drawing away from the dusky nipple, Ivan whispered against his chest. "I'm going to fuck you good and hard Fredka, so don't become too impatient. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be half conscious and unable to speak a single word. And you will love it, I promise."

Alfred let out a low whine of need at Ivan's words. Looking at the Russian with lust-darkened blue eyes, he snorted at Ivan's fully clothed state. "W-Well before ya can do that, you need to strip too, dont'cha?" Alfred groaned back as Ivan began teasing his other nipple with his mouth, tongue and lips working his nub into hardness to match the other. Alfred let out a breathy moan at the sensation, combined with the pleasant warmth coursing through his veins again thanks to Ivan's magic. That heat promptly traveled south as the sunshine blonde gasped in pleasure when Ivan lightly bit Alfred's nipple. Tugging a bit harder on Ivan's soft hair, he moaned out, "I-Ivan~" The kisses trailed up his neck with hard nips thrown in. Alfred could already tell he'd arrive to class the next morning limping and probably with various bite marks littering his body. Though this only caused Alfred to moan some more.

Ivan chuckled at Alfred's statement, deciding it to be true. He quickly pulled off his shirt, revealing an expanse of pale, almost milk white skin. He shed himself all the way down to his boxers, deciding to leave those on until the last minute. Resuming his spree of kisses along Alfred's body, Ivan picked it up at Alfred's chest and begin slowly moving up. He stopped just over the junction where his neck and shoulder met, eyeing it with unconcealed hunger. "Alfred..." He breathed out, baring his fangs once more and plunging them in. He didn't leave them embedded in Alfred's skin, instead choosing to pull them out and watch as a line of blood dribbled down the blonde's chest. Ivan caught the descending bead of blood at Alfred's stomach and slowly licked up, collecting all the crimson, wine-like liquid on his tongue. "Yesss, so sweet~" Ivan whispered hungrily. He caught Alfred in a quick kiss, tongues brushing briefly before pulling away with a smirk. Ivan nipped at Alfred's lip as he had done so many times before, causing a small bead of blood to form. He sucked it off with a moan, feeling the blonde moan shakily and his sweet breath fan across Ivan's face.

Alfred moaned at the cool tongue running over his chest, collecting his warm, small rivulets of blood. His mouth parted, allowing their tongues to brush as Ivan gave him a quick kiss, Alfred briefly tasting his own blood again and causing him to shiver in slight arousal. He'd never pegged himself as one for blood play. Guess you do learn something new every day. Alfred let another breathy moan pass past his lips as Ivan bit and sucked at the bottom one once again, collecting beads of blood. Pulling at Ivan's soft tresses again, he pulled the vampire away from his lip, a saliva strand tinted a slight reddish-pink from blood connecting their moist and puffy lips. Alfred's mouth now moved in on the Russian's unscarfed neck, Ivan having taken off the scarf along with his shirt. He gave one spot on Ivan's neck where his scarf didn't always cover well an open mouthed kiss, licking and wetting the spot before biting down hard to leave an indentation of his teeth, then sucking on the spot for a few seconds and coming off with a pop. Alfred looked up from the very impressive hickey he made and smiled coyly at his Russian lover, eyes sparkling with mischief. "It's only fair that I get to leave a mark, too." He purred sweetly.

Ivan moaned breathily at Alfred's sucking, feeling his cock twitch as the blonde sucked hungrily on his neck and bit down rather hard. He knew Alfred didn't have the guts to break the skin, but he came very close, his human canines leaving deep indentation marks. He wondered what it would be like to have Alfred feed on him…a vision of pale skin, even brighter blonde hair, and lightened blue eyes came into Ivan's mind. He quickly caught his train of thought, and pushed it away, deeming it not appropriate for the current situation. "Da," Ivan found himself agreeing with Alfred's words. "But I believe my marks will stick around much, much longer." And they would be a lot more numerous, if things continued the way they did. Deciding that he'd made Alfred wait long enough, Ivan pressed Alfred back onto the bed and reached over to the bedside drawer. He fetched the bottle of lube they'd only used for fingering up until now. Ivan's fingers may have been much larger than Alfred's, but they didn't come close to his cock. It'd be a tight fit, considering three fingers was usually Alfred's limit…

Giving Alfred's aching cock a few strokes to relieve some of the pressure, Ivan uncapped the lid with his other hand, using his thumb to pop the lid off. He drew back the hand stroking Alfred and squeezed a generous amount of lube onto it, working the lubricant between his cool fingers and warming it up as best as he could. Pressing his fingers to Alfred's bottom, he sought out the blonde's puckered hole and pressed a single digit in. Alfred lips parted slightly in a silent breath, but that was mostly it for a reaction. It was still erotic to watch though, seeing how Alfred's eyes clouded over in lust and want and his body relaxed against the intruding finger. Ivan prodded around, searching for Alfred's sweet spot. He felt the slightly pulsing gland and pressed up against it, drawing a quick and instantaneous moan out of Alfred. Smirking at how quick he found his sweet spot, Ivan continued to work his finger in and out of Alfred, brushing the tip of it against his prostate and eliciting moans from the American. Nudging a second finger in, Ivan scissored his fingers, corkscrewing them into Alfred and teasing the ring of muscle at his entrance. Ivan had seen from watching Alfred's face that he loved the moment whenever something first entered him. So the Russian purposely withdrew his fingers, only to plunge them back into the blonde immediately after.

Alfred let out a half whine as he felt Ivan's thick fingers leave, making him feel empty for all of a couple seconds. His whine though was cut off as he cried out in pleasure, eyes wide as he arched off the bed slightly at the feeling of Ivan's fingers suddenly filling him up again and hitting his prostate. "M-More!" Alfred moaned out as he felt the two fingers pump in and out of him at a restless pace, once again scissoring and stretching Alfred's tight walls. Alfred wrapped his arms around Ivan's back, short nails lightly biting into Ivan's pale skin and forming shallow half-moon indention's. He felt Ivan give him a soft kiss on his lips, tongue peeking out to trace Alfred's bottom lip as he slowly inserted a third finger past his ring of muscles. Alfred grunted in slight discomfort as the calloused finger stretched his hole more, but Alfred soon got used to it and even started pushing back against it until Ivan's fingers were buried to the knuckles in him and brushing against his sweet spot. Alfred let out a low moan and let his eyes go half lidded.

Curling his fingers slightly, Ivan was rewarded with Alfred jolting a bit and then arching off the bed. A loud moan filled the room as the Russian merciless teased and toyed with Alfred's sweet spot. Smirking and then licking his lips at the sight, Ivan withdrew his fingers, causing Alfred to whimper in protest. Shedding his boxers, Ivan freed his semi-hard cock and stood on his knees in front of Alfred. Ivan watched Alfred leaned forward, as if knowing what he was about to suggest, and took the head of his cock into his mouth. Moaning instantly at the contact of Alfred's lips around his growing member, Ivan lolled his head back, focusing on the feel of Alfred's mouth on him. He ran a pale hand through Alfred's golden hair, urging him forward. "Nngh, fuck… Your mouth is so amazing…" Ivan all but growled, though his voice didn't hold any true malice to it, just rough, unconcealed lust. He felt the velvety heat of Alfred's mouth go down further, taking in more of his as the underside of his cock was teased by Alfred's mouth. "Mmm, good boy…such a good boy." Ivan purred sweetly.

Alfred glared up at Ivan in slight annoyance, smacking Ivan's hip lightly in protest to being talked to like a puppy. Ivan who had chuckled at Alfred's response, was cut off from his laughter by a sharp intake of breath before a low moan soon accompanied it. Alfred smiled victoriously as best he could around the Russian's girth, having slowly licked up a sensitive vein with his tongue as he took as much as he could of Ivan's cock. Alfred continued listening to Ivan's moans of pleasure as he bobbed up and down, sucking hard on Ivan's member. Every few bobs or so, he'd pull off Ivan to swirl his tongue around and tease the sensitive tip, periodically slipping the tip of his tongue into the slit. He'd kiss and lightly suck up Ivan's growing length, licking up from the base to the tip before taking him in again. After several minutes of the continuous patter, Ivan tugged at Alfred's hair, moaning and occasionally whining lowly in his throat at the pleasure. As Alfred felt pre cum bead at the tip of Ivan's cock as he bobbed up and down, he slowly drew back up and swirled his tongue around the tip again, collecting the little beads. Pulling off with a soft pop, he peered up at Ivan with a smug little smirk at the panting and half lidded vampire. Licking his lip, he asked, "You want me to continue or do you wanna fuck me now?"

Alfred would be lying to say that while he was sucking Ivan off, he was reminded of how...big the Russian was. His length and girth were definitely both above average and quite possibly the biggest he's ever seen...outside of porn movies of course. It made Alfred feel a bit apprehensive about if Ivan would be able to fit, but he trusted Ivan to stop if he saw that it was hurting him too much. Besides, Alfred himself was no wimp and while he was nervous he also felt a tingle of excitement run down his spine.

"Now." Ivan growled more feral this time. He pressed Alfred back and lifted the blonde's hips slightly he could access Alfred better. Grabbing his now engorged cock, Ivan pressed the head against Alfred's still slightly stretched hole, watching as the head struggled to slip in. He heard a quick intake of breath from Alfred, the blonde having become slightly uncomfortable at the penetration. He managed to get the head in, but then heard a choked whimper sound from Alfred. Turning his gaze to slightly watery blue eyes, Ivan stopped his movement and sent Alfred an apologetic look. "Do you want to stop? We don't have to do this right now."

Alfred took a few shuddering breathes to calm himself. His walls had tightened a bit against Ivan, not being used to penetration from such a large object. Until now, he'd only felt his own fingers and Ivan's slightly thicker fingers up there. After Alfred's blue eyes stopped watering from the discomfort and pain at Ivan's forceful entry past his tight ring of muscle, Alfred shakily replied. "N-No, I want this. Just go slower until I'm used to it, kay? You're kinda big and well, this is sorta my first time. So yeah..." Alfred laughed a bit, trying to laugh about it and ease his discomfort. He did want to continue, he just needed Ivan to go a bit slower and be a bit gentler until he was more used to being penetrated and his hole stretch enough to accommodate the larger Russian's length.

Ivan hadn't realized that he'd all but forced himself into Alfred. Feeling mix of embarrassment and guilt at his apparent impatience, Ivan merely nodded as his response. He gave Alfred a few seconds to take a deep breath and exhale before continuing on. Much more gently this time and slower, Ivan pressed himself into the blonde as much as he could. Alfred's body resisted against the large scale penetration, threatening to expel Ivan's cock from him at any moment. He was tight…really fucking tight, actually. Definitely virgin ass. Ivan loved it. He managed to press in about halfway before stopping to let Alfred adjust some more. The said blonde was panting a little, eyes half lidded and hands gripping the bed sheets tightly. Ivan had trouble holding back the impulse to just throw caution to the wind and ram himself into Alfred, but he refrained from doing so. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have hesitated to act upon impulse, but with Alfred, it was much, much more different. Breathing heavy from the pleasure the tightness around his cock was causing, Ivan began pushing in a little more once he thought he'd given Alfred enough time. He heard a whimper come from the blonde, though it wasn't one of pain. It wasn't exactly one of pleasure either. It was more like Alfred reacting to the fact that he felt full and much warmer in a place where he regularly shouldn't. "Are you okay?" Ivan asked, leaning forward so he could stroke Alfred's cheek with the back of his hand.

The burning ache of the initial penetration was slowly fading as his muscles became used to the stretching. Now it wasn't so much as painful as it was ...odd. He was starting to feel incredibly full, which was neither pleasant nor unpleasant feeling. Wrapping his arms around Ivan's neck, he lightly nuzzled into the hand gently caressing his cheek. He gave Ivan an encouraging smile and said, "Yeah, it doesn't hurt as much now. Just feels a bit odd being stretched out so much. You can keep going, I think."

Giving Alfred a small kiss on the cheek, Ivan finished sinking himself into Alfred until all he could see was the base of his cock. It felt wonderful to be bathed in so much warm tightness. God, Alfred's walls were hugging him in all the right ways. He could feel the twitch of his cock against Alfred's tightness, the hot, burning heat engulfing him in an inferno. Ivan shivered, unable to suppress his reaction. Pulling out a little, he thrust back in gently and slowly, testing to see if friction was a problem. After a few small, short thrusts, Ivan began to build up his tempo, drawing more of himself out and then thrusting all the way back into Alfred. Alfred's pants slowly escalated into small moans. Ivan watched as the force of his thrusts jostled Alfred into the bed, his blonde head bobbing slightly as Ivan pivoted his hips back and forth.

Alfred moaned lowly as heat began to build in him again. Now used to the Ivan's massive girth in him, he could enjoy the feeling of his inner muscles stretching to accommodate Ivan's member and the feeling of being filled up. Ivan continued the slowly building tempo he'd set when suddenly he finally hit Alfred sweet spot. Alfred arched a bit off the bed and moaned loudly as an electric pulse of pleasure coursed down his spine. With a gasp, the arms wrapped around Ivan's neck slid down to claw lightly at his back. Wrapping his leg around Ivan's waist, he hooked his legs around his back. "A-Ah, there Ivan! Hit there again!" As Ivan sped up his thrusts a bit, aiming for Alfred's prostate again, Alfred let out long wanton moans and groans at the pleasure coursing through him once more. His short nails scratched down Ivan's back lightly, leaving bright red marks.

Ivan felt the blunt nails digging into his skin and let out a low groan. The combination of Alfred's tightness and the pinpricks of pain on his back was wonderful. Rocking into Alfred at a faster pace, Ivan yanked Alfred's arm from around his torso and pinned them to the bed on either side of the blonde's head. Lacing their fingers together, Ivan lowered his head to capture Alfred in a passionate kiss, lips moving slowly and sensually with Alfred's and tongue tasting the other's mouth. Ivan slowed his pace to a gentle rocking, teasing Alfred's sweet spot and causing small waves of pleasure to wash over the American with each soft rock. Parting from the kiss and gazing down at Alfred with lust clouded eyes, Ivan spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "As much as I'd like to fuck you hard into these sheets, I don't want our first time to be purely wild." While the erratic and unpredictable rough type of sex was usually Ivan's preferred type, he had to admit that being soft and gentle with Alfred was really pleasing his more romantic side. And judging by the look on Alfred's face – lips parted, eyes half lidded, and cheeks flushed a beautiful red color – he was enjoying it just as much.

Alfred let out a sound that was a mix between a pleasured moan and appreciative hum, enjoying as Ivan gently rocked into him as he just barely pressed into that special bundle of nerves that made him feel so good. Alfred gave a soft laugh between pants and soft mewls. "That's not what ya promised me, big guy~" He teased before lifting his head up the best he could and skimmed his lips across Ivan with a soft smile. "Thank you though Vanya." He whispered against the vampire's equally red and puffy lips, and then put the pressure needed to make it into a soft and lingering kiss.

Ivan pressed forward against Alfred's lips, enjoying the simple, yet intimate action. They parted slowly, eyes meeting and never breaking from each other. "Don't worry about that promise, Fredka. That comes later. But for now, I just want to be able to feel you…" Ivan pressed his lips against the side of Alfred's neck. It was the side that was unmarked, the skin relatively clean of any bruises or cuts. Skimming his fangs along Alfred's neck, Ivan allowed the other to feel the sharp teeth before he sank them in gently. Unlike his previous two bites, this one was much slower and gentle. Ivan drank the small increments of blood that flowed from the bite wound, moaning softly against Alfred's neck. His hands were still intertwined with Alfred's and he could feel the other squeezing his fingers as he drank. Pulling his fangs from Alfred with a satisfied sigh, Ivan smiled almost drunkenly down at Alfred. "I love you."

Alfred's lips parted in a silent gasp as he as he felt Ivan's sharp and smooth fangs sink gently into the side of his neck. Squeezing the large hands that almost engulfed his as they pinned Alfred's arms to the bed, he let out a low whine of pleasure at the smooth and gentle sucking on his neck combined with the slow rocking of Ivan's hips as he thrusts in and out of Alfred. It was almost as if he was timing his thrusts with sucking on his neck, sending rolling waves of pleasure through him, slowly adding to the coil of heat building in his abdomen.

Then Ivan pulled away, and before Alfred could let out whine of disapproval, his eyes met Ivan's pleasure clouded amethyst orbs and a small, drunken, but undeniably warm smile splaying on his lips. Alfred's heart fluttered at the look and a lump formed in his throat as Ivan quietly stated he loved Alfred. Feeling a small grin spread on his face, Alfred choked out, "I-I love you too Vanya."

Smiling at Alfred's response, Ivan pressed bloody kisses along Alfred's jawline. Feeling the sudden urge to get things moving quicker, his thrusts began increasing in tempo and force. He pivoted his cock in and out of Alfred even faster, stealing away the blonde's breath and causing him to part his lips in a silent moan. Letting go of Alfred's hands, Ivan opted to grab his hips instead and began pulling the blonde towards him to meet him mid-thrust. As soon as his cock struck Alfred's sweet spot, a loud, raw moan ripped through the room. It was like music to Ivan's ears and he felt himself growing needier as Alfred's moans increased in duration and pitch. Soon he was mercilessly thrusting into Alfred, jerking his body back and forth with the motion and reducing the American to a loud, whimpering, wet mess. Ivan's lips parted into a strangely satisfied smile as he tilted his head back and rammed himself into Alfred's warm and wet hole. A moan built up in his throat and rose in volume as he felt the pleasure begin to mount. "God, Alfred…you're so amazing…so wonderful, so tight…"

"I-Ivan..." Alfred moaned almost incoherently, too far gone in the pleasure as he writhed under Ivan. God, did this back and forth, flip-flop between soft and rough feel wonderful. The contrast between the gentle rolling pleasure and almost glowing warmth he felt while Ivan had been slowly fucking him had turned into intense heat coiling in his stomach. The firm but gentle grip on his hands was now replaced by Ivan's tight grip on his hips as he pulled Alfred to meet his thrusts. It was all adding to that coil of heat in his abdomen. What really pushed Alfred over the edge in need though was Ivan's slightly dirty talk.

In a sudden need to control and speed up the pace, Alfred lurched forward, pushing Ivan by the shoulders down on to the bed, much the larger man's surprise. Confused, but slightly aroused violet eyes peered up at Alfred and an amused smirk appeared on the vampires face. "Alfred...?" He asked letting his voice trail off. Alfred just bit his lip and looked away, too busy positioning himself over Ivan's cock as he straddled his lover's hips. He mumbled out, "I wanna ride you." And before Ivan could say anything Alfred slid down on his cock in one smooth motion. Alfred let out a gasped moan as he arched forward and squeezed his eyes shut in pleasure as he was suddenly filled again. After a moment, he started to bounce up and down on Ivan's lap at a steadily increasing pace, as he lifted his hips almost all the way off Ivan's shaft before slamming back down again. As the coil in Alfred's stomach tightened even more, he found himself almost incoherently moaning Ivan's name over and over again, like a chant. His hands were gripping Ivan's shoulder for support as he bounced up and down, short nails digging into the Russian's shoulders.

Well…Ivan was surprised, to say the least. In a spit second, Alfred had taken the initiative and was now bouncing himself on Ivan's cock. The Russian vampire wasn't displeased, though. Oh no…the sight of Alfred bouncing the way he was, the sound of skin slapping skin, and the angle at which he penetrated the blonde was fucking amazing. Hazy, lust filled blue eyes gazed down at him. Ivan's name faintly registered to him as Alfred chanted it in a garbled mess of moans and pants. Placing his hands back on Alfred's hips, Ivan refocused his efforts on thrusting up and meeting the blonde mid-thrust. Ivan bucked up in time with Alfred's descent onto his cock, causing the blonde to lurch up a bit and cry out. Ivan bit his bottom lip before moaning out dirtily. "Mm, such a dirty boy, Alfred. You love riding cock, don't you?" Ivan watched as Alfred reacted to his words, his eyes rolling back a bit in pleasure as the dirty talk combined with Alfred impaling himself on Ivan's engorged cock registered to him.

Alfred shuddered at the deliciously dirty words, crying out in pleasure every time Ivan met him halfway with a hard thrust. Whimpering in pleasure, he answered Ivan's most likely rhetorical question. "Yes!" Alfred really did like this position though, he felt like he had more control even though he was one bottoming. After a few more thrusts, pants, and pleasure filled moan and cries, Alfred knew he was close. He was so close. His cock was twitching and he felt his ass clenching a bit. "I-Ivan, so c-close." He moaned out. He just needed one more thing to send him over the edge and allow him to finish.

Noticing the desperate expression on Alfred's face, Ivan could tell he was close to an orgasm. From the way Alfred was repeatedly slamming himself down on Ivan's cock, Ivan could also feel himself getting close, the pleasure beginning to mount steadily. Propping himself up on one elbow, Ivan reached up for Alfred and brought him down into a heated kiss, tongue flooding into the blonde's mouth and a moan resonating from their joined lips. Ivan hungrily kissed Alfred, lips sliding against the blonde's, licking and sucking all that he could. At the same time, Alfred had adjusted his posture a bit so he could both keep their lips connected and allow Ivan to thrust up into him. Pulling away from the kiss with a hungry growl, a thin strand of saliva connecting their bottom lips, Ivan sent Alfred a dark smirk before letting his mouth descend back to Alfred's neck. Quickly and much more feral this time, Ivan clamped down on Alfred's neck not so gently, his fangs digging in deep and causing blood to seep steadily out of the wound. Ivan could barely collect it all in his mouth, thin lines of blood seeping from underneath his lips, wetting the sides of his mouth and dripping onto their skin. However, his intent was not to hurt Alfred. While it may have looked messy and painful, appearances could be deceiving.

Alfred arched as he came between them, the tight coil in him snapping as he gave one last cry of Ivan's name. The pleasurably painful bite was what Alfred needed to push him into completion. As he rode out his pleasure, Alfred let out little moans as Ivan continued to drink from him, the hard but pleasurable sucking on his neck a sweet sort of pain. Raising his arms from Ivan's shoulders he tangled his fingers into Ivan's hair roughly and pressed his head harder against his neck. He felt Ivan tense a few thrusts later, the arm around him pulling him in closer as Ivan pulled off his neck and buried his face into the crook of it as he came with low groan. Alfred gave a soft hum at the in the back of his throat as he was filled with Ivan's warm cum. Considering every other part of the vampire was cool to Alfred, he was a bit surprised at the warmth.

For several minutes, they sat like that, just enjoying the afterglow. Ivan's arm wrapped around Alfred's back as he rubbed circles gently into it with his thumb, the other arm propping him up, his face buried between Alfred's bloody, bitten neck and shoulder as he breathed in and out slowly. Alfred straddling the Russian's hips, arms now draped wrapped loosely around Ivan's neck and the side of his face burying into the top of Ivan's head; breathing the scent of sweat, blood, sex and Ivan. Smiling, he gave the top of Ivan's head a kiss, "Mmm, that was wonderful Vanya." Alfred hummed and smiled into the Russian's hair.

Completely sated, both physically and emotionally, Ivan found himself smiling into Alfred's skin. He lapped up some of the blood from Alfred's chest and neck, reveling in the shiver that ran through the blonde. Letting the sanguine liquid on his tongue slide down his throat, Ivan swallowed and replied, "Good~ I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Ivan laughed a little breathlessly, as Alfred gave him an exhausted smile back. Reflecting on how much he had drank from the blonde, Ivan realized that he'd drained Alfred of quite a bit of blood. Turning Alfred's chin with his fingers, Ivan asked him sincerely. "Do you want to try drinking my blood? It will make you feel better."

Alfred thought about Ivan's offer for a moment. Well he HAS done it before, and it did make him feel better after Ivan fed off of him those first couple of times. But...

Alfred just shook his head and smiled sheepishly, "Nah, it'll be disturbing seein' ya claw at your neck while being completely cognitive to realize that's what you're doin'." The memory of Ivan doing that made him frown in displeasure. Sure bite marks and stuff were fine, but seeing Ivan inflict self-harm didn't settle well with Alfred, even if it was for his own benefit, besides he'll feel fine in the morning after a good night's sleep, allowing his body to make up for the blood lost.

Ivan pouted a little. He honestly just wanted to feel the sensation of Alfred feeding from him. "Alright then…" Ivan mumbled a bit. "By the way, it doesn't hurt me any. Pain like that hardly registers to me anymore. And good luck making up for so much blood loss. One night of sleep won't be enough to replenish it, you know." Feeling a little sly with his words, Ivan continued, hoping to talk Alfred into taking action. "You'll be very tired in the morning and all throughout the day. I assumed that maybe you'd like to go out into the snow and play tomorrow? It's a shame…it might all be melted by the time you fully recover." Hiding his smirk behind a pouty expression, Ivan waited eagerly to see what Alfred's reply was. He knew how the blonde was about doing things like that, and Alfred wouldn't pass up to opportunity to drag Ivan out into the snow to play.

Alfred blinked. He couldn't believe Ivan guessed right that he wanted to play in the snow! ...Would he really be that tired? He didn't feel too tired now, but then again Ivan probably knew more about blood loss than he did. Alfred bit his lip a bit in thought, trying to decide if Ivan's words were true. "Would it really be that bad? I mean, I don't feel too bad now..." Alfred asked hesitantly.

"You won't be in any pain, but you'll feel like falling asleep every minute of the day. Besides, don't you have class in the morning? You'll be so tired by the time you finish that we won't get time to spend together." Ivan frowned, this expression being more genuine than his pout. Well…it was genuine. Even if he could sit and watch Alfred sleep while petting him, it wasn't as good as actually spending time with the blonde. "Let me help you, Fredka." Ivan said gently, voice soft and soothing.

He didn't want to see Ivan hurt himself (or anyone for that matter) but he did want to spend time with him. Also, he couldn't let his grades slip in class. Ivan himself was also offering and he said it didn't hurt to do it. Giving a sigh of defeat, Alfred just grumbled, "Fine, but it's still disturbing to watch someone inflict self-harm." Squeezing his eyes shut so he didn't see Ivan practically claw at his own throat, Alfred stuck his tongue out at Ivan childishly at having lost the argument. Alfred made a sound in the back of his throat in protest as he heard Ivan chuckle and grab at Alfred's poked out tongue. "Heyth!" He said in a lisp.

"Careful where you stick that thing out, it might just get bitten off." Ivan joked light-heartedly. He let go of Alfred's tongue and waited until the blonde had closed his eyes again before pecking him softly on the lips. Bringing his nails up to his neck, Ivan pressed down against his pale skin and cut a fresh line into his neck. He let out a small breath at the tiny pinprick of pain, but the burn of the wound disappeared in mere seconds. Feeling a line of blonde ooze down his neck, Ivan pressed his hand against the back of Alfred's neck and urged him forward. "You don't have to open your eyes if you don't want to…" Ivan murmured as Alfred's lips closed in on the self-inflicted wound.

Alfred kept his eyes closed, not because he didn't want to look, but really just because really he didn't want to watch Ivan inflict the wound. He was fine with seeing blood. No, he kept them closed because it just felt wrong to open them, sorta like how you want to close your eyes when you kiss someone. Hesitantly he closed his mouth over the wound and ran his tongue over it, collecting the blood pooling there. If he could, Alfred would have grimaced at the taste. Really, blood just tasted gross and coppery. Why had he liked tasting his own blood when they kissed earlier? Oh yeah, because he's kinky. Pushing those thoughts aside, Alfred began sucking gently at the cut, wanting to get this over with. He heard Ivan hum appreciatively at the sucking, and Alfred blushed a bit, but felt a bit pleased that Ivan was enjoying this. Though as he ingested Ivan's blood, the smaller blonde felt it settle pleasantly in his stomach. Alfred felt a sudden warmth in his stomach. It was very pleasant and even made Alfred suck a bit harder and lap a bit on the wound to try and get more blood. It was odd because it didn't taste good, but it felt really nice and warm in his stomach.

Ivan's lips parted as a breathy sigh escaped him. Alfred's lips on his neck, sucking and feeding off of him…goodness, it was like heaven. The Russian vampire tilted his head a bit more, giving Alfred more access and closing his amethyst eyes. He urged Alfred on by placing his hand on the back of the blonde's head, holding his mouth to the cut wound. "Oh, Alfred…" Ivan breathed out, voice light and feathery. "It feels so good…" What was shocking was that Alfred was a mortal – a human being. Ivan couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like if Alfred was immortal. He'd die from blood loss because he wouldn't be able to keep himself from constantly letting Alfred feed on him.

Alfred felt an insistent hand cup the back of his head and press him more to the wound. When he heard Ivan's soft breathy noises of pleasure and his voice so light and breathless, Alfred couldn't help the low moan he felt leave his mouth. A couple more minutes of sucking and licking on the wound, and Alfred had consumed enough of Ivan's blood to make up for the blood he lost. He pulled off Ivan's neck, giving the cut one last long lick. Alfred sat up with droopy eyes, the exhaustion from their past activities catching up to the American. Glancing at the clock, it was about 10:15 PM. Alfred yawned and buried his head in Ivan shoulder. "'M tired, how about you big guy?" He wiggled his hips a bit, and realized Ivan's cock was still buried in him, soft now but still there. He grunted as he lifted his hip and let the member slide out before settling in Ivan's lap again and curling up against the Russian.

Ivan giggled a little, his neck still tingling from Alfred's soft lips and mouth. "I'm not sleepy, but I am ready for a little relaxation if that's what you mean." Fixing the comforter around them and curling him and Alfred up in a cocoon of soft, cotton blankets, Ivan let Alfred lie on top of him, the blonde's arms and head resting comfortably on Ivan's chest. The violet eyed vampire stroked through Alfred's slightly damp hair in a soothing notion. "Go to bed now, Fredka. You have class tomorrow morning and I don't want to make you sleepy by keeping you up."

Alfred nuzzled into the hands running through his hair, enjoying the gentle touch. Letting out another yawn, Alfred let his content and sleepy blue eyes droop close. "'M way ahead of ya big guy. Night Vanya, love you." He mumbled in a voice thick and slurred in sleep. Slowly he drifted off into a pleasant sleep.

"I love you, too." I whispered faintly, already hearing Alfred asleep.


	12. Stolen Away

Morning came, and as Ivan predicted, Alfred had been only a little tired. He'd poked fun at Alfred for trying to act tough the night before and not drink Ivan's blood. The blonde merely shrugged Ivan's teasing off and ate his breakfast. A couple minutes later, Ivan escorted Alfred to his college. The snow was relatively deep, so Ivan had insisted on Alfred wearing some thermal boots to keep his feet warm. The Russian vampire just so happened to keep a spare pair at his home, though he personally never needed to use them. The cold didn't affect Ivan like it did humans.

After a trek through the snow covered city and slightly dangerous and slippery streets, Ivan dropped Alfred off at his college, kissing his lover on the cheek and wishing him a good day. They parted, heading in their separate directions for the time being. Ivan stalked off to find something to preoccupy himself.

-x-

This had to be it. Natalia was certain that she would find Ivan here. Paris was a bright beacon for all vampires and usually attracted most of their kind. Ivan had to be here somewhere. How many more places could he be? Natalia had all but searched all over Western Europe. She'd been to Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, made a trip up to England, and then finally back into France. Along the way, she had ran into a pair of vampires; German vampires. One was a tall blonde man who was muscular and stern while the other was a slightly obnoxious albino vampire with distinct features. They weren't involved with Natalia's business in the least, but that hadn't stopped her from interrogating them. As usual, they said that they didn't know any vampires by the name of Ivan. Natalia briefly thought about attacking the albino vampire after he'd made a remark of how obsessive she sounded, but refrained from doing so upon observing the taller, blonde vampire. Natalia was strong, but the German, with all his thick muscles and cold, icy blue eyes pretty much screamed raw strength and brutality. So she left them alone and went on her merry way.

She traversed through the city, keeping her deep blue eyes open for any signs of Ivan. After exhausting her search in the main part of the city, Natalia turned her search to the sidelines of Paris. Rows of houses and fancy flats lined the streets here. It practically screamed high class. So far, all she had found was numerous children and some teenagers playing out in the snow. She was just about to give up searching for now until she saw him.

There he was, rolling around in the snow like a carefree child with what appeared to be a blonde human. A human…a weak, brittle little mortal in the arms of Ivan like they were long lost lovers. Natalia quickly regained her bearings after the initial shock and bounded into the shadows where she couldn't be seen. From there, she observed Ivan and the mysterious blonde mortal. They were playing in the snow, building little forts of ice and dumping handfuls of the white, cold powder on top of each other's heads. Their little war breaking for the moment, Natalia was surprised whenever she saw Ivan bring the blonde into a hard, passionate kiss, all tongue and teeth. The edge of the blonde's jacket dipped a bit and Natalia could see the vast array of purplish bruises and bite marks. They littered the blonde's neck, numerous in numbers and fresh.

What the hell was Ivan doing? Natalia had no idea.

Although the thought pestered her, Natalia knew she couldn't attack Ivan out in the open. And that blonde…that weak, little human…what was his standing with Ivan? What were they doing? Natalia watched as they stood up from the snow and began dusting each other off. They begin walking toward one of the flats. That must have been Ivan's home, Natalia deduced. Good. At least she knew where he was staying at the moment. Deciding that she needed to fall back and formulate a new plan, Natalia slinked off into the crowd of people unnoticed.

She didn't know who that human was, but they were obviously close to Ivan. Very close. Yes…Natalia's lips pulled into a wicked smile. If that human were to die…the amount of pain it would cause Ivan would be unbearable. Keeping her wicked smile plastered to her face, Natalia thought of what her next move was going to be. Whatever it was, it would involve that human's death and then Ivan's shortly after.

-x-

Alfred was currently in Ivan's kitchen heating himself up some warm milk, having wanted a warm beverage. He was humming a catchy pop song and swaying his hips as he stared intently at the microwave screen as it counted down from one minute. They'd just come inside from playing outside near Ivan's building's yard. Some kids had been out too, but they mainly left Alfred and Ivan alone, being intimidated by the large Russian.

Today had been a pretty good day for Alfred, aside from being a bit tired when he woke up this morning and the slight ache he felt in his lower back after his and Ivan's activities last night. The Russian asshole had the nerve to tease Alfred about being tired and looked pretty damn smug and pleased with himself at the barely noticeable limp Alfred had. That aside, his classes went by pretty fast and he got a good grade on an essay he wrote for one of them. He met Ivan at the café and they ate lunch. Well…Alfred did. They talked for a good hour before Alfred dragged the Russian to his flat's building's front yard and promptly started an intense snow war with the Russian. They'd played and messed around in the snow for a good four and a half hours. Alfred would be leaving for his dorm in half an hour or so, after he cuddled and warmed up with Ivan.

Speaking of which, just as he'd stopped humming and swaying his hips as he heard a familiar ding indicating the milk was done. He also felt an arm wrap around his waist and cool lips press against his neck before The Russian lifted his head up to bury his nose in Alfred's soft, golden blonde hair. "Hey, what's up?" Alfred asked, tilting his head up at an odd angle so he could Ivan's face upside down.

"I'm going to miss you tonight." Ivan muttered sadly. Alfred had to return to his dorm in a small bit, and Ivan would be forced to spend his first night alone since they'd made up with each other. He knew he couldn't hog Alfred all the time, but he sometimes wished he could. "I honestly have no idea what to do whenever you're gone." Alfred disapproved of Ivan feeding on others. As easy as it would be to do it without getting caught, the Russian vampire still didn't like the idea of going against Alfred's wishes. Pulling Alfred into the living room by his waist and making sure not to jostle him too much so he wouldn't spill his warm beverage, Ivan led them to the couch and pulled the blonde into his lap. Nuzzling against him, he relaxed against Alfred's warm and pleasant body, breathing in his scent. The smell of snow mixed in with Alfred's usual aroma, making it more vivid and crisp than usual.

After being led to the living room and plopping down on the Russian's lap, Alfred began sipping at his drink. At Ivan's confession Alfred grinned up at him, teasing the Russian despite the milk mustache he was sporting. "Do whatever you did before ya met me. I mean I know life is dull and monochrome without my awesomess around. But surely you had other ways of entertaining yourself all these years." Seriously, what did Ivan do besides 'hunting' or reading? The Russian never really struck him as being social...

Alfred found his mind drifting off on the matter as he drank more milk, adding on to the little mustache he was too lazy to lick off right now. His other hand idly played with an end of Ivan's scarf, the material seemingly faded and slightly fraying at the ends. "Hm, where'd you get this scarf Ivan? It seems really old and important to you." Considering how carefully he treated it and seemed to appreciate it when Alfred treats it just as carefully. This had actually been something he'd been curious about for a while...

Ivan gave Alfred a small, sad smile. "Katyusha made this for me. It's been repaired and sown into hundreds of times since then. I try my best to take care of it." Ivan lifted the other end of the scarf, running his fingers over the worn cloth. "It's the last remnant of my sister. I promised myself that I would keep it for as long as possible. I never imagined it would last over a thousand years. Then again, Katyusha had told me that she put all her heart and soul into it. Maybe that's why it's so strong, because she was." Ivan gave a slightly choked laugh. Clearing his throat, he tried changing the subject before he became too emotional. "Sure, I had ways of keeping myself busy. But you must realize that since you've came into my life, everything else pales in comparison."

Alfred gave Ivan a small smile and stroked the paler blonde's cheek with the back of his knuckles in a soothing fashion. He hummed out, "If she's anything like you big guy, I'm sure she was hella strong. 'Sides, us older siblings wouldn't leave our baby bros hanging, even in death." He gave him a wink and a brighter smile. "Would you mind telling me more about her sometime? She sounds nice from what you've said so far." he really did want Ivan to tell him more about his human days and his family. Whenever he did, he looked melancholy and pained, but behind that there was a definite warmth in him as he spoke of his sister. He wouldn't press the Russian though, considering the emotional wound he felt over her murder.

Now Alfred often stroked his own ego, his last statement about life being dull without him a testament to that. Alfred also loved it when others stroked his ego. Ivan, however, always seemed to know what to say to both flatter, fluster and embarrass the American with his compliments, turning his face into a tomato...at least in color. Alfred rubbed the back of his head, smile turning bashful as his cheeks glowed a soft pink. "T-Thanks, big guy. You seriously flatter me too much though, man. My head just might get bigger if you're not careful."

Ivan kissed Alfred's forehead as if for emphasis on his next words. "Don't worry. If you get too meat-headed about yourself, I'll be sure to knock you down a couple notches." At the scowl he received from Alfred and the way the blonde puffed his cheeks afterwards, Ivan burst out into laughter. "I'll tell you about my…family…some other time. Today has been a fun day, and I'd rather not ruin it by getting all melancholy on you."

Alfred blew a raspberry at him, "You're a big bully." He quickly withdrew his tongue though, not wanting Ivan to capture it between his fingers again. Finishing the rest of his milk, he finally licked off the milk mustache on his upper lip. He smiled brightly and encouragingly at Ivan. "We did have an awesome day didn't we? And I'm ready to listen whenever you wanna tell me buddy." He poked Ivan's nose with his finger, watching and laughing as Ivan's eyes crossed to follow the finger and his nose scrunched up. Leaning up he pecked the Russian on the lips.

"I suppose I could tell you now…" Ivan mused quietly. "Like I said before, Katyusha and I were the only ones alive at the time of my turning. Our parents had died…I don't remember my mother. She died at my birth. My father was a very rough and cruel man. He would beat Katyusha over little things whenever we were younger. But like I said, Katyusha was a strong woman. She held strong against father's beatings. She made sure he never touched me. I was only a child at the time, so I didn't know what I was seeing. I know I didn't like it though. A few years later, father died and Katyusha and I took over the farm. And the rest is history." Ivan said matter-of-factly. "I know it's not as exciting as you may have wished, but that's my human life in a nutshell."

Alfred nuzzled Ivan's neck through the scarf, "I'm sorry to hear that... your sister was really brave" Alfred frowned. He hadn't expected that. Alfred never got how people could hurt kids, especially their own children. Alfred personally loved kids as Ivan witnessed when he tried to coax some into not being intimidated by Ivan and it was cool to play with them.

Alfred was thankful to this Katyusha however, for not letting their bastard of a dad touch Ivan and protecting him. Alfred liked her. He wished he could have met her. She sounded very kind and sweet. Leaning back into Ivan's chest he asked, still fiddling with Ivan's scarf absentmindedly. "I'm sure you have some good memories with your sister! Any embarrassing stories she might of told me about lil' Vanya, like siblings are infamous in doing when their sibling brings home a boyfriend or girlfriend~?" Alfred asked, tilting his head back as he teased the vampire. Sure they were going back down memory lane and remembering painful stuff as well as good stuff, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have fun with this! "I'll tell you some that Mattie would have told you if you guys had met!"

Ivan racked his mind for any good memories. There were very few if any good memories Ivan had of his past life. Life a thousand years ago wasn't nearly as entertaining or exciting as today. Ivan blushed wildly at a certain memory. "I'm not sure about me, but Katyusha had a bit of a…problem…with her chest. It often got in the way of a lot of things. Including farm work. She couldn't see her feet whenever she walked, so she was constantly stumbling over things." Ivan laughed a little remembering Katyusha tripping all over herself. The poor girl's large breasts were really more of a curse than a blessing. "I…uh, well there was this one time that Katyusha and I went into a small town to sell some crops. A skimpily dressed woman came up to me and started conversing with me. I was only about 12 at the time. She tried to lure me into a brothel. Of course, I had no idea where I was going or what the woman was going to attempt to do. Luckily, my big sister found me in time. She threatened to beat the woman black and blue for attempting something so low and vile." Ivan grinned at the memory, remembering clearly Katyusha's threatening glare.

Alfred raised an eyebrow, "...Puberty must have been a bitch for her then. Ever have to beat off ogling guys with a stick?" He found it amusing that "big" apparently ran in their family, and he wasn't necessarily talking about Ivan's body size either. And at hearing the brothel story, he couldn't help but laugh hysterically. Imagining the Russian's younger self being too doe eyed and innocent to understand where he was being taken to. "Hahaha! D-Did she tell you later where that woman was taking you?" Alfred was covering his mouth at the possibly horrified expression little Ivan might of had if Katyusha did indeed tell him. Violet eyes wide and mouth agape, a clear look of trauma in his eyes, like a little kid finding his mom making out with "Santa Claus" kind of trauma.

Ivan sputtered a bit. "N-No! I mean…not right away. She told me afterwards. Can we not talk about that? That was embarrassing and awkward. Now Alfred, I do believe that you owe me a story of your own." Ivan smiled deviously, glad that he would be getting a little bit of revenge for his embarrassing confession.

Alfred pouted, "Aw...that would have been funny!" He then looked up in thought and licked his lips a bit to moisten them. "Damn, if Mattie were here, he'd have field day. I kid not, my bro had more dirt on me then I had dirt on me! Let me see, what would be a good one?" Alfred grimaced when he thought of the perfect one. Well at least the perfect one his brother would have told Ivan, " Okay, um Ivan…ever hear of Dora the Explorer?" He asked curiously, if not this would be even more embarrassing to explain.

Arching a pale brow, Ivan nodded, not following Alfred. "Yes. It's a child's show meant to both encourage group participation and teach Spanish. What of it?" What? Did Alfred still watch it or something? That wasn't too embarrassing…

Alfred nodded and laughed nervously, "Well, I first saw the show when I was like five or six and have been terrified of it ever since. And when I say terrified I mean terrified. Just hearing the freaking opening would make me start bawling when I was little! It took me to like age ten to stop having nightmares of Swiper breaking into the house and swiping the our stuff even when I said 'Swiper no swiping!'. Now it just sorta creeps me out, but when I was younger...freaking terrified." Alfred huffed explaining his irrational fear of a child's cartoon show. He looked up at Ivan after a long silence. He blinked at the Russian who was biting his lip hard, looking ready to burst into a giggle fit. Alfred blushed, "Don't laugh! I mean, think about it! She was like a little girl and her parents let her walk all around a forest alone, with a talking monkey in boots. There are alligator infested lakes and a fox bandit that tries to steal stuff! And somehow this little girl who randomly starts speaking Spanish has the power to talk to animals and stop the freaking bandit most of the time just by saying 'Swiper no swiping!' three times! What did she do to that fox to make him so obedient!? And don't get me started on how scary Dora is herself. Her eyes are soulless I swear! Not to mention how that blue arrow thing, like, stalks her." Alfred grumbled his reasons for fearing the little Latin TV show character when he was little, and how it creeped him out now.

That was it. Ivan burst into a fit of giggles, unable to hold it all in. He heard Alfred give a groan of annoyance. But in all honesty, that was just so absurd! It was a child's cartoon, for god's sake. Not some twisted, guro depiction. Ivan held his side whenever he felt the burn from laughing too much start to settle in. "You…thought Dora the Explorer…was scary?" He managed to gasp out between his laughs. Ivan caught the sullen expression on Alfred's face and felt a pang of guilt course through him. Okay…so maybe he shouldn't have laughed that much or that hard. Alfred hadn't poked too much fun at his story, so he shouldn't be giving Alfred such a hard time. Patting the blonde affectionately on the shoulder, Ivan managed to quell his fit of laughter. "I'm sorry Fredka." He stated, a little breathless. "I didn't mean to be so obnoxious about it. I understand it was only a child's fear."

Alfred just sulked as his boyfriend laughed at his childhood fear. He knew he should have just told him about how he sneezed in the middle of his first kiss, then at least he would have been able to laugh with the Russian at his fail. When the Russian apologized, he just mumbled, cheeks red in embarrassment. "It's cool, I would have laughed too if I wasn't the one with the fear." He then gave Ivan a serious look. "You have to promise to keep that a secret, or I'll stake ya vampire boy. No one outside my family knows about that!" Alfred would just about die of embarrassment if that fear was revealed to anyone he didn't tell himself. So far that was only himself, Mattie, and Ivan and he planned to keep it that way.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise." Ivan kissed him on the cheek and then on the lips. "You wouldn't stake me….would you?" Of course that wouldn't work, even if someone tried it. Vampires were much, much harder to kill than people thought they were. The only way to kill a vampire for sure was to decapitate them and burn the body. You could spill their innards out onto the sidewalks before them, and they could still survive from that. Feeding healed wounds as if they were never there before, so almost anything could be mended. Even severed limbs, aside from the head of course.

Alfred blinked in surprise, "That would work!?" He questioned with his mouth gaping in disbelief. Really, Alfred had just been joking about the stake thing. He hadn't even considered the possibility of it working, thinking it to be something untrue like a lot of the vampire myths.

Alfred snapped out of his shock and hurriedly tried to reassure his boyfriend. "N-No! I'd never do that to ya Vanya! I was just joking, I didn't think it would actually work!" Alfred twisted and adjusted himself on the Russian's lap so he could hug the Russian around his middle and press a kiss to the side of his neck, where a sliver of skin wasn't covered by his scarf. "I'd never try to hurt ya like that..." he mumbled. Well he would defend himself if Ivan ever tried to hurt him, but that went without saying. Besides, he doubted the Russian would try to hurt him this late into their relationship.

Ivan laughed softly, running a hand through Alfred's hair. "No silly, that doesn't work. It's just another one of your human's little myths to help them sleep better at night. It takes much, much more than that to kill us." Pressing his lips against Alfred's hair, he murmured sweetly. "You don't have to tell me that. I already know. Just like I would never purposely hurt you." Ivan threw in the 'purposely' because he wasn't sure whether or not he could keep himself from accidentally hurting Alfred. Mortals were, after all, incredibly fragile. Almost like glass… Ivan turned his attention to the digital clock sitting on the end table near them. "It's getting late…" Ivan mumbled almost sadly. Alfred would definitely have to leave soon, as much as he wouldn't want him to.

Alfred exhaled in relief. Well, at least he knew Ivan couldn't be knocked off that easily. He then smiled brightly at Ivan's sweet words, despite the admittance that he could unintentionally hurt Alfred. The American wasn't scared of that anymore though. He was sure he could handle whatever was thrown at him. He may be human, but Alfred could be as tough as nails at times too.

Alfred laughed a bit at Ivan's tone at it being late. Looking over his shoulder, he saw he should indeed start heading back if wanted any hope of eating, doing some assignments and getting to sleep at a decent hour. Alfred nodded and looked back at Ivan's almost sulky expression. "Yeah, I probably should be heading out in a minute. Don't worry though big guy, you'll see me for lunch at the café right?" He winked and gave Ivan a chaste kiss on the lips. He pulled back with his normal, bright grin on his face. "I had an awesome and fun time with you to day, and thanks for sharing more about your past with me big guy. I know it must be hard for you." His grin turned more appreciative as he reached his hand up to brush against the vampire's cool cheek and go up to run through his platinum locks.

Ivan closed his eyes at the sensation of Alfred's gentle fingers carding into his hair. He gave the blonde his usual small smile back. "I had fun too, Fredka. And it's no problem. I like that I'm able to share everything with you." Ivan opened his eyes, meeting Alfred's aquamarine ones with his violet ones. "Do you want me to walk you home?" Ivan knew what the answer would be. And even if Alfred said no, he'd just pressure the blonde into caving so he could do it anyway. Ivan didn't like the thought of Alfred walking out alone in the evening time, let alone in knee deep snow.

Alfred snorted, but smiled fondly at the Russian and gave his head an affectionate scratch. "Nah, I'll be good on my own big guy. 'Sides, I can take down anyone who tries to mess with me!" It was sweet that Ivan was concerned for his wellbeing, but it wasn't like he was some teenage girl. Besides, it was only like six thirty, granted he stayed an extra thirty minutes then intended, but still. It was only starting to get dark so Alfred would be fine.

The Russian vampire gave Alfred a worried look, his brows furrowed and his lips brought into a tight line. Finally, he sighed, giving in. "Alright, fine. Just please be careful. I know you can handle yourself Alfred, but I still worry." After all, the world was unknowingly full of vampires. And Alfred seemed to be the mass to which most of them were gravitating towards. "Can I have a kiss before you go?" Ivan pointed to his lips. He and Alfred both knew he wasn't referring to a small peck on the lips. Aside from a slow make-out session that morning in bed, they hadn't kissed like that almost all day.

Alfred smirked a bit at Ivan's request, deciding he would tease the Russian a bit, despite how the Russian will probably get revenge for the teasing. "But you already kissed me after our snow war! But, I'll be generous and give ya another one big guy." He wrapped his arms around Ivan's neck, adjusting himself on the Russian's lap once more so he was straddling him. Leaning in slowly, he got only a few millimeters away before changing course and planting a big kiss on the tip of the Russian's nose, even playfully nipping it before drawing back to watch Ivan's reaction to his teasing.

"Alfred…" Ivan wrinkled his nose. He pouted a bit, his lips tugging downward in a frown. If Alfred thought he was the only one who could pout, he had another thing coming. He sent the blonde a pitiful expression, his violet pools filling with a look of sadness. Ivan saw Alfred's expression falter for a second and smiled inwardly.

Nope, nope, nope, nope. Alfred was not going to fall for it. He felt his expression falter. NOPE, Alfred perfected the pout! It was his, Ivan just can't take that from him! Biting his lip, Alfred tried to keep his eyes hard and unwavering while he stared into saddened violet pools. He must resist it...! With a huff, the American gave in. He was going to give Ivan a kiss anyway, he didn't need to pout and make Alfred cave. "Fine, you win." Leaning in once again, he slanted his mouth over Ivan's now smirking lips. He felt Ivan trace Alfred's slightly chapped lips with his cool tongue, slipping it inside Alfred's warm mouth and slowly exploring every inch of his mouth. Alfred hummed into the kiss in approval, lightly nudging Ivan's tongue with his to get him to wrestle his tongue with Alfred's.

Ivan moved his lips slowly and sensually over Alfred's his tongue poking into the other's mouth and eliciting a reaction from the blonde's. Cool pale lips slid over pinker, slightly chapped ones, leaving a trail of wetness wherever they travelled. Ivan sucked on the blonde's lower lips as he always did, making Alfred moan lightly against his mouth. Pulling away with a small suck, Ivan gave Alfred's lips one last lick. "Mm, thank you, darling."

Alfred just smiled, licking his own lips. Wiggling off Ivan's lap, he stood up and leaned over, pressing a kiss to the top of Ivan's head. "No problem Vanya. See ya tomorrow at the café?" He asked as he offered his hand to help the Russian up, knowing that the Russian would at least walk him to the door. And as predicted, Ivan accepted the hand and was pulled up before being lead to the door by Alfred. Ivan opened the front door with his free hand as Alfred turned to listen to his boyfriend's response.

"Mmhmm. I'll be there like always." He pressed one last kiss to Alfred's lips before seeing the blonde off. Ivan watched Alfred until he disappeared from sight and then closed the door. Sighing, the Russian retreated to his room where he had a book waiting to be finished. Tonight was going to be a lonely night, especially after last night's events.

-x-

Natalia watched with the eyes of an eagle as Alfred walked out of Ivan's flat. She waited until the Russian vampire closed his door before moving along. The Belarusian vampire trailed Alfred closely, debating whether or not she should strike now or wait until later. Eventually, they reached a couple of conjoined buildings and Natalia deduced that it must have been a campus of sorts. Alfred was just about to walk into the building. Natalia was caught between wanting to take action now and fear of being caught if she tried. Biting her lip, she concluded that she wouldn't be able to nab Alfred out in the open like this. It was still relatively early in the evening, there were still people about, and the campus was in the open. And it's not like she could just follow Alfred up to his room or something.

No…this called for a more discreet course of action. Natalia nodded to herself, mentally making a note to come back here tomorrow. Tomorrow…she would take care of the mysterious blonde human tomorrow. And then afterwards, it was Ivan's turn. She smiled wildly, her sharp fangs shining against the evening light.

-x-

That night, as Alfred made his way to his dorm, he didn't notice the shadowed figure following him to his campus. Nor could he sense the figures dark intentions as they disappeared into the night. Alfred walked into his dorm, taking off his jacket and the boots Ivan lent him. He would admit they were super warm. Much better suited for winter than Alfred's converses. He settled into his normal week day routine: make instant ramen (since he hadn't been in contact with Francis at all last week, he didn't get any leftover meals to heat up), did some homework and finally went to bed around ten o'clock. As Alfred tried to get some sleep, he found the lack of a Russian boyfriend to snuggle against very displeasing. The slight pang of loneliness wasn't too bad though. He'd see Ivan in the afternoon and they could hangout some more and maybe drop by Arthur and Francis's apartment. The reason he'd bring Ivan along is to throw the vampire under the bus so to speak so he isn't the one Arthur's indignation and wrath over the obvious marks littering his neck (and other places) were. Alfred smiled a bit at the scene that formed in his head and snuggled into the pillow a bit more, content with how everything seemed to turn out in the end.

The next morning, Alfred woke up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and turning his alarm clock off. The American felt extremely well rested and the slight ache in his lower back from their previous love making a couple nights ago gone. Going through his normal morning routine of grabbing a Pop-tart for breakfast, taking a shower and all that jazz, he found himself walking around campus, heading towards his first class for the day. He pulled out his phone and began texting Arthur, telling him that he and Ivan would come over later. Putting his cell phone in his pocket, he looked up just in time to realize he was about to run into someone, but didn't have enough time to react. The collision sent both parties tumbling to the ground, "Ow, damn it that hurt." Alfred mumbled to himself as he got up off his bum, dusting himself off. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention!" he apologized, looking down at the person he crashed into and offering a hand. He saw probably the single most attractive woman he's ever met in his life. She had deep blue eyes, fair skin, long platinum blonde hair that had more of a yellowish tint then Ivan's, and a slim figure. She was wearing a black, sleek winter coat, magenta dress, black stockings, a black string choker and a a head band with a bow on top the same color as the dress. The beautiful stranger smiled politely and accepted his offered hand.

"T-Thank you." Natalia replied in a pseudo-bashful voice. She let Alfred help her up. As soon as she was on both feet, Natalia's hands went to her head. She swooned a little bit, making herself stumble purposely as she faked a fainting spell. "A-Ah…I don't…I don't feel so well…" Natalia whispered, faking being short breathed. Alfred's face was instantly covered with concern, his mouth opening to say something. She felt him steady her by grabbing her arm with one hand and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "It must be my sugar. I…I need somewhere to sit down so I can check. I have insulin in my bag." She motioned to the bag that, in fact, did not contain any medicine for sugar problems, but rather a rope and gag.

Alfred quickly scanned the area, muttering a few curses in English when he didn't see any conveniently placed benches or tables. Looking back the beautiful girl, who actually looked to be his age, he smiled at her sheepishly. "There isn't any benches around here. Um, I could take to my dorm. It's close." Alfred offered, hoping she would trust him considering he was a stranger and he could take advantage of her weakened state. "Oh, I'm Alfred F. Jones by the way." He tagged on quickly.

"N…Natalia…" Natalia muttered out weakly. For a moment, she saw Alfred's eyes go wide. He shot her a look of pure terror, his face portraying an expression that only the most horrible nightmares could cause. Had she said something too much? Did her name give away her identity? Ivan…did Ivan trust this 'Alfred' enough to have told him about her? Natalia tensed, ready to strike at Alfred the second he showed any signs of trying to escape. But the blonde's horrified expression merely melted away, and he gave an uneasy laugh, putting on a strained smile. Natalia relaxed a smidgen, waiting for him to speak.

Alfred felt cold terror pass through his being when he heard her name. No, it's not possible! This had to be a coincidence, right? Natalia was a popular name in the states, so why not here right? Besides, she couldn't possibly be this seemingly sweet girl. Alfred was just being paranoid and shouldn't jump to conclusions just because someone has the same name as Ivan's tormentor and creator. Alfred's eyes, which had widened in recognition and fear, returned to normal as he continued walking towards his dorm and held her arm in a firm and steady grip in case she swooned again. Alfred gave her a hesitant and strained smile, letting a nervous laugh come out as he tried to explain his moment of panic. "Oh, um sorry. My boyfriend had a...bad experience with someone named Natalia. It just shocked me to here you say your name was Natalia too. So um, are you an exchange student too?" He tried to push off his little moment as not a big deal and tried to bring up a more friendlier topic of conversation while he escorted her to his dorm room.

"Mmhmm. I'm a student from…" Natalia tried to think of a place inconspicuous that would match her accent. She couldn't tell him Russia, Ukraine, or Belarus…that would be too suspicious. "…from the Czech Republic. They suggested that I come to this school recently, and since the semester was about to end, I figured I could start here next semester." Natalia used her knowledge of usual colleges to her advantage. It sounded believable. They finally reached Alfred's door, which was at the end of the hallway. Natalia pretended to use the wall for support while Alfred brought out his keys and unlocked the door. After the Belarusian vampire heard the door click open, she allowed Alfred to help her inside. As soon as the blonde closed the door, Natalia lost her sickly façade, instead choosing to smile at Alfred. "Thank you." She spoke in English, watching as confusion crossed the other's face.

Alfred blinked when she suddenly switched to English. "You speak English?" Alfred asked a bit baffled. Why didn't she speak it from the get go then? Maybe her French is better? Alfred felt suspicion well up inside. She looked less weak all of a sudden, like it was an act. "Well um, you're welcome. You look thirsty. Do you want any water?" Alfred asked, eyeing her as he headed to the mini-fridge in his dorm, planning on getting her a bottle of water.

"Hmm yes, I am a little thirsty. I've done a lot of travelling, you see." Natalia stood up from where she had taken a seat and followed Alfred. "Though…I don't think water will do much to sate that thirst." She noticed how Alfred froze, his back going tense and the mini-fridge's door being left open. The nervous laughing was back on his part as he turned to face her with two bottles of water. Natalia smiled, letting the fainting hint of fang show. She walked closer to Alfred, reaching out and dancing her fingertips along his bare neck. "No, water will not do at all…I'm looking for something else…"

Alfred tensed more, alarm bells blaring in his mind. His smile took a bit of an edge. Was she implying what he thinks she was? He couldn't jump to conclusions. "I'm sorry Natalia, but I'm taken. See?" He grabbed her hand in a firm grip and pointed to one of the many bite marks on his neck. Avoiding eye contact in case his suspicions were correct, he hoped she got the message. If she was a vampire, she would recognize the bite marks for what they were immediately. In case she wasn't though and this was just someway of picking someone up then, "Like I said before, I have a boyfriend " No need to tell her he actually swung both ways. He didn't see it considering he was avoiding eye contact, but Natalia's eyes took an icier edge and she was struggling to keep herself from snarling at reinforcement of his and Ivan's relationship.

"Ah, I see." She mused quietly, her voice stiff and hard. She withdrew her hand from Alfred's neck, her hands surprisingly hurting from the blonde's hard grip. Humans usually weren't so strong… Natalia smiled sweetly at Alfred. She allowed her teeth to show completely now, her fangs out in the open for the other to see. Alfred gasped, drawing away from her. In a quick flash of movement, Natalia reached out, grabbed Alfred's jacket, and sent him flying across his dorm. He connected painfully with the wall, knocking down some decorations and jostling the entire dorm room. Natalia stalked over to where he lie on the floor, holding his side. She sneered at him, her eyes freezing over like ice. "So you and Vanya are together, huh?" Natalia spoke Ivan's name with intense bitterness. She pressed her foot against the side of Alfred's head, applying a small bit of pressure. A groan of pain could be heard underneath it. "Well then…that's no good, is it? No…you see, Alfred, you seem to have inadvertently thrown yourself into a rather sticky situation. Because of your little relationship with your little vampire lover, you won't be living much longer." Natalia walked over to where she had set her bag down, pulling out the gag and rope. "Because I do plan on killing you. But I'm going to do it in front of him, so I can watch him slowly crumble. I want him to know the full extent of the pain he has caused me." Natalia turned around in time to see Alfred struggling back to his feet, a glare plastered on his face now. He looked ready to spring at her. "If you try defying me, it will only cause you more pain. I can do this all day, you know."

Alfred gritted his teeth in pain and anger, his usually warm blue eyes narrowed and dark with rage. It seems his early suspicions were right. This was the Natalia that caused Ivan so much suffering. Alfred let out a bitter laugh. Like he was going to go down without one bitch of a fight. "Funny, I heard a much different story from Vanya. Something about you being a crazy and psychotic bitch that was so obsessed with him that you forcibly turned him into a vampire, dragged him around like a pet, and then killed his fucking sister because she was in the way of you two." Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to press her buttons, considering Alfred was at such a disadvantage. He was especially regretting it since she let out snarl and rushed at him. Alfred found himself pinned to the wall, his hands above his head in Natalia's painful grip. Alfred let out a hiss of pain, he was pretty sure if she squeezed any harder his wrists would break.

"So that's what Vanya told you, huh? Figures he would try to glorify himself like that. He always was so self-centered. All he cared about was that goddamn sister of his. Katyusha this, Katyusha that, I wonder if Katyusha is okay?" Natalia's voice took on a hysterical edge as she gripped Alfred's wrists a little harder. The blonde let out a full out groan of pain as his bones threatened to give out on him. "I gave him everything and more. And he still spat in my face and kicked me whenever I was down. Well…as they say, revenge is a bitch, and I'm commonly known for the being one of the biggest bitches in the world. And you, Alfred-" Natalia hissed out his name, her fangs lingering dangerously close to his neck. "-are going to be my means of vengeance."

Alfred glared hard at the clearly mentally unstable vampire. Alfred wasn't going to play the helpless hostage, nor was he going to allow himself to be used to harm Ivan. Alfred growled out in both anger and pain, "Like Hell I'll let that happen." Despite knowing his odds of escape were slim at best and the painful pressure on his wrists, Alfred let his right leg coil back before slamming his foot into the deranged girl's stomach. Natalia's grip loosened up as she doubled over slightly, not having expected the kick to have so much strength behind it. Alfred took the slight falter and hissed as he tore his wrists free of her weakened grip. Funny how she fell for almost the same thing Ivan did when he cornered him in the alley way.

Seeing no way around Natalia before she recovered, Alfred instead tackled her and was planning on quickly getting up before making a dash for the door. Unfortunately Natalia, though weaker in terms of physical strength compared to Ivan, recovered faster and was much nimbler then the Russian. As they hit the ground Natalia quickly flipped over their positions before Alfred could even twitch to try and get up. She was now sitting on his chest, teeth still bared and two arms wrapped firmly around Alfred's delicate neck, squeezing just hard enough to deprive him of oxygen. She may be weaker than Ivan, but she was still infinitely stronger then Alfred. As Alfred gasped for air silently, he clutched at Natalia's slim wrists and tried to pull her hands away. His world slowly faded as oxygen failed to reach his brain, causing him to lose consciousness. He was unable to hear any of Natalia's last words or register her actions before his arms when limp and his vision turned black.

Natalia took her hands away from Alfred's already bruising neck. As much as she would like to tear him to pieces for the little stunt he pulled, she still had a plan to enact. Grabbing the rope and gag she'd dropped before the fight, Natalia tied up Alfred's arms and legs. Not wanting to take any chances in case Alfred woke up, she secured the gag in his mouth to make sure he wouldn't be making any noise. Next, she ripped the bed sheets off Alfred's bed and wrapped him up in it. It would look slightly suspicious if she was caught carrying something that large wrapped up in sheets, but it would be a lot more suspicious if someone caught her carrying a full grown man bound and gagged. Natalia roughly set Alfred down on his bed before yanking out a piece of paper from a nearby book. She grabbed a pen sitting on the table and wrote in her neat and elegant scripture. Satisfied with her words, the Belarusian vampire left the note sitting in the middle of Alfred's bed. Hoisting the unconscious blonde over her shoulder, she opened his window and escaped from the dorm building with Alfred as her hostage.


	13. Confrontation

Francis had just finished making food for Alfred for the week. Since Ivan and him were coming over, the light blonde man thought it would be a good opportunity to give the American his dinners then. It would be less of a hassle anyway. Collapsing on the couch where Arthur was rereading one of his beloved Shakespeare's books, he casually swung his legs to rest on the Brit's lap as he rested his head on the couch's armrest, planning on enjoying the peace before the chaos of Arthur and Ivan being in the same room together began. That was until his cellphone let out a serene little French song, letting Francis know he had an incoming call.

With a dramatic sigh that his lover just snorted at, Francis slipped his hand into his pocket, taking out the phone. The Frenchman's eyebrow raised in curiosity as he saw the caller ID. With a click, he answered the phone and brought it smoothly to his ear, "Ah, Gilbert. What do I owe this call to mi ami? Is Ludwig giving you the cold shoulder again?" Francis asked his German friend, a small smile playing on his lips.

Gilbert snorted, sending his brother who was sitting across the room a quick look. "Nein, not today. Actually, I thought you guys might want a little heads up." Gilbert leaned against the wall and watched his brother work. On what? He was never really sure. "So this crazy looking bitch stops by and starts asking me and Luddy a bunch of questions. She was a vampire, right? She kept asking us about this 'Ivan' fellow and I just wanted to let you guys know that she's probably coming your way. Don't know who this Ivan dude is, but it sounds like he's in for a world of shit whenever this crazy bitch finds him."

Francis froze, deep blue eyes widening in surprise. Surely this was a coincidence; It couldn't be their Ivan Gilbert was talking about. Though...Francis doubted many Vampires named Ivan roamed the Earth. Swallowing the growing lump in his throat, Francis replied with a slightly strained, but still level voice. "...I see. And did she give this...'Ivan' a description? Did she give you her name?"

"Uh…yeah. Russian dude." Gilbert spoke with slight distaste. He never did like the Russians. "Tall, violet eyes, really light hair, wears a scarf all the time…I think she said her name was Natalia? I'm not sure. It could have been Natasha…" Gilbert ruffled his snow white hair, frowning at his lack of memory. "Why? You recognize that name or something?"

Francis tensed. It was their Ivan alright. He noticed Arthur look at him with a perplexed frown, wondering what got the usually laid back Frenchman so edgy. Francis frowned in thought, holding up a finger to Arthur signaling he'd explain in a moment. Deciding not worry his friend, he lied smoothly. "Non, the name sounded familiar. It is not the same person though. Thank you Gilbert for the warning. We will be on the lookout for her."

"Okay dude, whatev-" Gilbert heard the line on the other end go dead. Hanging up, he cursed under his breath, earning his brother's attention. "Was? Asshole hung up on me." Ludwig merely sighed and turned back to his work, ignoring his older brother.

Arthur watched as Francis tucked his cellphone away. "From what I've heard, I can already tell that this isn't going to be good." Francis nodded grimly, expression unchanging. Groaning, Arthur closed his book and set it aside. "What has he done this time?" All he had heard during the conversation was Ivan's name being brought up and that immediately sent warning bells off in Arthur's mind.

Francis sighed and gave Arthur a grave frown. "It appears Ivan has acquaintanceship with a dangerous female vampire named Natasha or Natalia. According to Gilbert, she has as they say, a bone to pick with Ivan. She just went through Germany and Gilbert was warning us she may be heading our way." He waited for his lover's response. His mind left to wonder. What should they do? Obviously warn Ivan. What about Alfred though? He could be in danger. Hopefully this Natalia or Natasha wasn't going to arrive anytime soon. Or else Francis, Arthur and Alfred may get caught in the middle of Ivan and this other vampire's squabble.

Arthur's expression hardened into a much more serious one. "Call Ivan right away. His number should be somewhere in our contacts. I'll try calling Alfred and tell him to come here immediately." Arthur went over to the landline and dialed Alfred's number while Francis scrolled through his contacts looking for Ivan's number. So far, all he had gotten were numerous rings. Arthur was starting to become worried after about the 7th ring. Alfred usually picked up at least before the 5th ring. He hung up and redialed Alfred's number, hoping that maybe the blonde would pick up this time. The phone rang and rang over and over again. Alfred didn't pick up. Hanging the phone up, Arthur turned to Francis who was just about to dial Ivan's number. "He's not answering…" The Brit felt his heart drop into his stomach. He hoped that it was just coincidence and maybe Alfred had forgotten his phone somewhere or was busy doing something. However, both of those options were highly unlikely whenever it came to Alfred. He always answered his phone, especially whenever he or Francis was calling.

Francis saw the distress on Arthur's face as he announced Alfred's lack of response. Francis put on a soothing smile and walked over to the Brit. Smoothing back some butter blonde locks, Francis placed a delicate kiss to his lover's forehead. "Maybe he just left his phone at home, hmm? He should be with leading to meet Ivan right now. They're going out for lunch today." Francis tried to believe his own words. Turning back to the task at hand, he finished scrolling through his contacts and found Ivan's number. He pressed call and listened to the phone ring, hoping Ivan would pick up and Alfred would be with him.

Ivan slung his jacket on and adjusted his scarf. Checking the mirror for anything out of place, he deemed himself presentable to public. Alfred should be on his way to the café and he needed to leave if he wanted to meet with the blonde in time. Just as he was about to walk out the door, his heard his cellphone ringing in his pocket. Fishing the cellular device out of his coat, he looked at the caller ID. It was Arthur and Francis calling. Strange. They knew Alfred wouldn't be at his house today. He answered it, bringing the phone up to his ear. "Privyet?" He greeted whoever was on the other line politely.

Francis breathed a sigh of relief as Ivan picked up. It saved the trouble of hunting him down to tell him the news. "Bonjour Ivan. Is Alfred with you?" His tone was a bit tense, like he himself was with worry. He didn't know whether or not he'd prefer Ivan to pick up his tone. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Arthur lean in slightly so he was able to pick up the Russian's answers over the phone. Smiling slightly, he wrapped an arm around the equally tense Brit, pulling him into a one armed hug.

"No, I'm leaving right now to meet him at the café. Why do you ask?" Ivan heard the slight waver in Francis's voice. He stopped at his door, a perplexed expression on his face. Something didn't feel right all of a sudden, and the feeling engulfed Ivan like a snow storm. He waited for Francis to answer as a moment of tense silence passed over the phone. "Francis? What's wrong? Tell me."

Francis took in a sharp inhale before exhaling slowly. There was no need to panic, panic wouldn't do anything. Alfred could be at the café already or something. Ignoring Ivan's other question as the tension thickened Francis asked, "Ivan do you happen to know a Natasha or Natalia?" A heavy silence followed the question. Francis could almost feel how Ivan tensed up at it.

"I…I do. W-Why…?" Ivan was unable to keep his voice from trembling. A shiver went down his spine, his body temperature seemingly dropping a few degrees. No…it had to be a different Natalia. Maybe it was Natasha? There must have been confusion with the person's name. How did Francis even know about her? Ivan shook the thoughts from his mind. He was jumping to conclusions. His paranoia was just getting the best of him.

Francis caught the slight tremor in Ivan's voice. It was shocking to say the least to hear such fear in the intimidating Russian's voice. Francis swallowed yet another lump forming in his throat. If Ivan was getting riled up about this...Alfred's current MIA status was even more concerning. "My friend in Germany, another vampire, called me moments ago warning me about some female vampire going through there looking for someone named Ivan. When I asked, he gave me a description of you and said to be on the lookout for her for she was making her way here." Taking a deep breath to calm his slowly panicking nerves, Francis continued. "W-We haven't been able to get in contact with Alfred. We tried calling his cell phone, but he hasn't answered." Francis jumped a bit when what sounded like Ivan's phone hitting the ground was heard.

Ivan let his cellphone slip through his hand. It collided with the floor, making a dull noise. His breathing froze, his body resembling a statue now. Natalia was here. She was here, and Alfred was missing. Oh god. Oh god. Ohgodohgodohgodohgod.

Ivan was out the door in a split second, flash-stepping through the city with blinding speed. He needed to get to Alfred's dorm and see if he was there. Maybe he was there. Maybe Natalia wasn't here yet. How did she even know about Alfred? There was no way. She had no clue who Alfred was. It was just a coincidence. Just a coincidence. Nothing more. Ivan was panicking for no reason. Everything was okay. They could leave before she showed up. Ivan could take Alfred back to the states and have him resume his classes there. Yes, they could do that.

Ivan reached the campus in record time, quickly entering the dorm building and rushing up to the second floor. He sped to Alfred's door and twisted the knob. His heart froze over with ice as he realized that it was unlocked. Alfred usually kept his door locked at all times… Pushing the door open, Ivan felt as if he'd been drenched in ice-cold water. Alfred's room was in shambles, a dent in the wall, the sheets ripped off his bed. A single piece of paper with fancy scripture was lying on the bed. Ivan stepped over to it numbly and picked it up. His eyes widened as he read it.

Dear Vanya,

I see you've managed to acquire some new friends, your precious Alfred being one of them. How nice...it's actually too bad, you see. Because of your little human's connection to you, he is going to pay with his life. That is…if you don't come out of hiding and show yourself to me. If I remember correctly, we have a score to settle with each other, Vanya. I'm tired of playing games, so how about we settle this once and for all? Your precious human or your freedom. You get to choose.

Sincerely,

Natalia Arloskaya

At the end of the paper, there was an address detailing a warehouse outside of the city.

Ivan crushed the piece of paper in his hands, his nails shredding the thin material into pieces. Natalia. Natalia had his Alfred, his Fredka. She was holding Alfred hostage because of him. No…No…No. NO. Ivan wouldn't stand for it. He wouldn't allow this to happen. Natalia had already taken Katyusha from him. He wasn't going to let her take the only other thing he'd ever cared about in his existence away as well. Noticing that Alfred's window was open, Ivan stepped up onto the ledge. This must have been where Natalia escaped from…

Looking around Alfred's room, Ivan looked for his cellphone. He found it sitting on top of his dresser. Picking it up, he exited the dorm from the window and landed on the soft grass below with a small thud. Zipping quickly through the city to the address Natalia left on the paper, Ivan dialed Francis' and Arthur's number. It rang only once before the Brit picked up, asking in a hopeful voice, "Alfred?"

"No." Ivan spoke, his voice hard and cold as ice. "She took him." He grounded out in a hiss. "She took him to a warehouse outside the city." Ivan quickly relayed the location to Arthur, not even giving the Brit a chance to talk. "I'm going there now. Goodbye." Ivan hung up before Arthur could reply. No more distractions. No more anything until he had Alfred safe in his arms again.

-x-

The first thing Alfred registered as he slowly blinked his eyes open was the fact that it was cold. Cold, damp, and incredibly musty smelling, like someone dipped a book in water and left it to dry and collect mildew for a few decades or so. Trying to move his arms he found they were bound by what felt like rope behind his back. He then tried to move his legs and ran into the same problem. Alfred mumbled a light curse, remembering how Natalia tricked him and their little scuffle before he passed out. Surveying his surroundings, he looked to be in an old, abandoned building. If Alfred had to guess, he'd say a warehouse. He was currently laying on his side on the cold, hard concrete floor. Perfect, he was in an old 1920's mafia movie scene.

Rolling himself onto his stomach, he slowly scrunched his legs under himself and pushed himself up onto his knees. Now in a somewhat more comfortable sitting position, he looked around again and saw some sparsely scattered old, wooden crates. He also noticed that only twenty feet from him was Natalia, staring intently at the closed, massive double doors at the front of the old building. Alfred was pretty sure she didn't even notice him wake up and scuffle around, dark blue eyes staring with such severity that he was pretty damn sure she could eventually burn holes into the heavy looking doors. From the corner of his eye he saw something sparkle on the ground just behind the crate near the disturbed vampire. Focusing on that, he noticed a shattered window on the wall just over the crate and the gap between the crate and wall. Noting that the shiny object was probably glass, he stored that information for later.

Alfred let out a whistle to gain Natalia's attention. Sharp blue eyes like a razor snapped their attention to him. "Hey psycho, how long was I out?" Alfred asked warily. He wouldn't push her too far, but he was definitely going to annoy the fuck out of her.

"Only three quarters of an hour." Natalia replied sternly, turning her attention back to the doors. Anytime now…she would have to be ready. She couldn't let herself get distracted. She needed to keep the mind frame and preparedness that she had built up for this moment. "No more talking. He should be here any minute now." Natalia let a dark, frenzied smile spread across her face. "Oh, just imagine the look on Vanya's face whenever he sees his precious Alfred lying on the ground with his throat torn open." Laughing bitterly, she didn't miss the expression of fear that crossed Alfred's face. "Oh, you must have forgotten. Better treasure your last minutes, Alfred."

Alfred bit his lip and let a shiver go down his spine. Swallowing his fear, he focused on distracting the psycho vampire plotting his and his boyfriend's death. What could he ask that won't make him have his throat torn out any sooner then she planned? After a minute of contemplation he sighed. "...Soooo, why'd you decide to turn Ivan and force him to be your pet?" Alfred asked awkwardly. This was really the best thing he could come up ...hopefully she'll start a monologue or something.

"Hmm…" Natalia thought, not offended by Alfred's implications of her treating Ivan like a slave. "I saw him out in a field while traveling one day. He was very handsome…strong and tall. He had pretty hair. I approached him, and once I saw what kind of person he was, I couldn't help myself." Natalia let herself smile at the memory. "I wanted him, so I took him. Unfortunately, there were some issues with his older sister, but I took care of that too. But Vanya…oh, silly, naïve Vanya still wanted to defy me. Well, he'll see shortly where that got him."

Alfred had to hold back a snort at the short tale. Yep, she was definitely psycho. He would admit though...she had an impeccable taste in men. Alfred also had to hold back a glare at the bitch calling Ivan by his nickname like she had the right to after all she put him through. Alfred had to be civil though...to an extent, considering he didn't want an early death. Hopefully Ivan will realize this is a trap and not come. Alfred asked hesitantly, "How long will you wait here? What makes you so sure he'll come to save me? Not that I need saving, but this is obviously a trap. He'd be an idiot to come alone." He wouldn't let on that he was friends with Francis and Arthur, other vampires.

"Do you think I am stupid?" Natalia asked skeptically. "Despite what you may like to believe, I know Vanya much better than you, Alfred. I know he will come. It's the type of person he is, putting people like you before himself." The Belarusian vampire scoffed, shooting down Alfred's assumptions. She then let her wicked smile return to her face, continuing on with acidity in her voice. "Though, if I were him, I wouldn't be risking my life for such a low piece of trash. Who would want to? You're naught but another meal waiting to be claimed."

A sharp bee like sting pierced Alfred's heart for a moment, Natalia's words cutting deep. He knew Ivan didn't feel that way about him, but her words brought back the old hurt at the thought of that being all his worth to Ivan. Eyes narrowing in defense, Alfred practically growled out. "Fuck off. If what you say is true, then at least he isn't leaving me for dead, like he did you." Natalia recoiled in surprised hurt at the jab. Alfred though immediately regretted letting his feelings get the best of him when her eyes then narrowed into slits. Suddenly she was right in front of him and yanked him up harshly by his hair. Alfred yelped out in pain as it felt like his hair was being ripped out of his skull.

"Silence." Natalia hissed at him, yanking on Alfred's hair roughly. "I will hear no more words from you, or I swear I will spill your intestine all over the ground!" She made out Alfred nodding his head against her grip, a look of horror plastered to his face now. "Good." Releasing the hand-full of hair she had grabbed, she let Alfred fall back onto the cold, cement floor. Letting her hand relax, a few golden hairs drifted down to the ground. Alfred groaned little at the initial impact of being dropped on the ground, but didn't make any more jabs towards Natalia. She took up her previous spot and focused her deep blue eyes on the large doors.

Minutes passed in silence as Natalia eyed the door with a monotonous expression and Alfred with one of anxiety. A small creak was heard at the large double doors and Natalia perked up a smidgen. She tensed, her muscles ready to spring in case it was Ivan and he was going to rush her head on. The doors creaked a bit more before stopping, filling the warehouse with silence. Natalia stood in the light of the waning sun in the window, waiting for the doors to burst open. She heard Alfred audibly suck in a breath, having yet to release it. The doors were still and silent now, but she was certain that Ivan was on the other side, contemplating what to do. "Come on in Vanya." Natalia called out in a mockingly sweet tone. "Don't be shy. I know we haven't seen each other in a long while, but there's no need to feel bashful." Smirking, Natalia waited for the doors to swing open.

Instead, there was a sudden crash of glass to her side as Ivan came in through the window, sending shards of glasses flying everywhere. They imbedded themselves in the wooden crates, sticking out dangerously as Ivan tackled Natalia to the ground. He managed to get a hold of her wrists, pinning them on either side of her head. "Natalia-" Ivan hissed out, voice low and dark. His eyes were narrowed in a glare, his fangs showing predominantly. If Alfred had ever doubted his appearance as a predator back then, he was definitely seeing the real thing now. He dug his nails into Natalia's wrist, drawing blood from them. The Belarusian vampire hissed out in pain, her equally feral eyes meeting Ivan's.

"Vanya, that was a dirty trick." She growled out, struggling against his hands. "How naughty of you. I figured Katyusha taught you better than that." Natalia let out a little whimper as Ivan increased the pressure of his nails on her wrists, imbedding them deeper.

"Shut up." He growled. "How dare you. How dare YOU try to take Alfred away from me!" Ivan pressed his knee sharply into Natalia's abdomen, causing pain to blossom there. "You. Just. Won't. Let. Go!" He growled each word out, his voice rough and deep with unsuppressed anger.

"As I was saying, Vanya…" Natalia muttered lowly, letting her eyes narrow into slits. "Naughty children must be punished!" She managed to draw her leg up, placing her foot against Ivan's chest and kicking him off her. He went sliding across the floor, shards of glass imbedding themselves into his clothing and skin. Natalia was on him in second, claws reaching out to tear into his skin. Ivan managed to duck out of the way, but the tips of Natalia's nails caught his cheek, causing four thin cuts to appear on his skin. Blood oozed out from them steadily, dribbling down Ivan's cheek. He rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up on his feet quickly. But Natalia was quick, and she threw herself at him, tackling Ivan into a pile of broken machinery. The sound of metal clanging together and bouncing off the floor resonated throughout the warehouse, the sound almost deafening.

The startlingly loud clanging of metal hitting each other and the floor snapped the American from watching the fight in both shock and entrancement. Shaking his head for a second to clear it, he needed to think fast and get out of these ropes. Focused blue eyes once again scanned his surroundings, spying the spilled glass (both old and new) behind the crate Natalia was sitting at. Alfred adjusted himself with his bound legs so he was sitting on his bum with his knees to his chest. Scooting backwards across the floor as quickly and as unnoticeably to the fighting vampires as he could, Alfred made his way to the back of the crates. He stopped when he felt some glass poke him in the butt, though his jeans.

As Alfred spent a good minute feeling around with his bound hands behind his back for a large and sharp enough piece of glass, Alfred continued listening to the two warring vampires. Trying to determine who had the advantage, with little success. Alfred let out a victorious, "Ah-Ha!" when he felt a something sharp brush against his finger tip. He patted it from on top, feeling it was wide enough to fit into his palm, but also long enough to reach the ropes binding his wrists. Quickly grabbing it, he went to work trying to saw the rope off. Hopefully Ivan could hold Natalia off until he got the ropes off. It would take some few minutes to cut through.

Ivan stood up shakily from underneath the massive pile of heavy steel. His head was bleeding around his temple, the crimson liquid dribbling down the side of his face. Natalia's lip was busted, her teeth smeared in red. "Stupid, insolent…" Natalia spat out blood, baring her bloody fangs. "IVAN!" She screamed hysterically, launching herself yet again at the bloodied vampire. Ivan caught her weight head on, but Natalia was still able to make his balance waver. Feeling the ground trying to slip out from underneath him, Ivan quickly shot his hands out behind him and flipped himself over before his back could hit the ground. Natalia fell forward, the sudden lack of mass in front of her causing the Belarusian vampire to lose her balance instead.

Snarling, Ivan capitalized on the opportunity, lunging forward and burying his fangs into Natalia's shoulder. He tugged and ripped out flesh, causing a blood curdling scream to rip through the building. Blood spurted into his mouth, and he spat it out, not wanting to swallow even a drop of Natalia's blood. Ducking just in time to dodge another clawed swipe, Ivan put some space between him and Natalia. The blonde vampire gripped her shoulder, her hand turning red with blood. "Give up, Natalia. You're no longer stronger than me, and you can't win." Ivan deduced. Natalia may have had a lot of speed and ferocity, but Ivan had raw strength and endurance to make up for it. Natalia's dress and jacket began to turn red as blood seeped down from her wound.

"N…M-Maybe…you are right…" Natalia suddenly said, her voice losing its crazed tone. She slumped a little, breathing heavily. "I am obviously outmatched by you, Vanya. How foolish of me to think that I could best you in a fight. I was brash, and now I am paying for it." Natalia looked up from underneath her bangs, catching Ivan's slightly confused and surprised facial expression. He was still on guard, ready to spring at the smallest movement. "How foolish of me…" Natalia whispered again. "I…what if I were to leave now? Would you let me do that? I would never harm you or your human pet again. I will disappear…it's clear that I am unable to beat you, Vanya. It would be naïve and reckless of me to continue pursuing you as I have." Natalia saw Ivan's posture relax slightly, his eyes still conveying a perplexed expression. He opened his mouth, intent on saying something. Natalia acted on the opportunity, flash-stepping towards Ivan and jumping onto him. She managed to get him in a decent grip, wrapping herself around him in a way that rendered him partially blind and immobile. The Russian vampire struggled to disentangle the deranged woman from him, swinging himself this way and that. Natalia bared her fangs and plunged them into Ivan's neck painfully, intent on draining him completely of blood.

Alfred cursed silently from his spot behind the crates when he heard Ivan's pained cry at Natalia sinking her fangs into them. Luckily though, just then he was finally able to cut through the thick rope binding his arms together. With a relieved grin and quiet whoop of joy, Alfred made quick work of untying the rope keeping his legs together. Those few years of Boy Scouts when he was kid turning out to be really helpful right now. Springing up on his feet, he whipped his head to where he heard a quiet struggle as Ivan vainly tried to wiggle out of Natalia's grip and throw her off.

Determined blue eyes shown as he noticed Natalia's back was to him. He dashed across the room, his footsteps going unnoticed by Natalia who was too engrossed with trying to drain Ivan. She didn't notice him before it was too late, sharp glass piercing her upper arm as Alfred used his other arm to wrap around her neck as she howled in pain, releasing Ivan's neck. Using all his strength Alfred could muster, he violently yanked the deranged vampire off the Russian and tried to slam her to the ground, only to have her recover and flip him instead. Alfred let out breathless wheeze as the wind was knocked out of him and his head collided with a dull crack with the concrete floor, probably giving him a minor concussion. Natalia approached him with a low snarl and sadistic smirk. Tearing out the glass in her arm, she tossed it to the side and lifted up the breathless American by his neck, once again squeezing it. Alfred glared at her with defiant eyes. Somehow, despite everything that's went down, Texas was barely hanging on to the ends of Alfred's ears and nose, one lenses cracked. He was able to conjure up enough saliva in his mouth to spit at the Belarusian, the fluids landed directly on her cheek.

Natalia stared in shock, feeling the warm spit hit her face. An irritated growl building up in her throat, she wiped away the saliva with the back of her free arm. "I think you're long overdue to die." She whispered darkly, mouth thick with blood. The long-haired vampire drew her hand back, watching as Alfred's eyes widened. Without much hesitance, she plunged her clawed hand into Alfred's stomach, tearing through skin and slicing through vital organs as she tried to disembowel the other. Alfred choked, spitting up blood and gagging a bit at Natalia sank her fingers into his body until her knuckles met the marred skin around her fingers. She aimed to grab onto whatever she could and rip it out, but a loud scream and a large force slamming her from behind made her hand rip from Alfred's stomach and leave his insides where they belonged. The fatally wounded blonde dropped onto the floor in a coughing and heaving wreck, curling into himself and clutching his heavily bleeding stomach.

Ivan grabbed the Belarusian vampire by the head of her hair and slung her around the room. Natalia slammed into one of the steel, concrete beams, effectively denting the massive structure and causing the roof to creak a bit. Ivan flash-stepped to her side, catching her by her throat and slinging her like a rag doll once again. This time, she crashed into the pile of crates, the embedded shards of glasses slicing through her skin. All throughout his rage, Ivan failed to notice the two other vampires that entered the building.

Francis and Arthur stumbled through the thick double doors, already aware of the commotion going on inside. Immediately, Arthur caught sight of Alfred lying on his side, curled up into a ball. A thick puddle of blood was seeping out from around him. Gasping loudly, he ran over to the impaled American, crouching down by his side. "A-Alfred? Alfred?" Arthur moved away Alfred's hands from his stomach, seeing the ghastly, open, and gushing wound for himself. The Brit's eyes went wide, his breath coming in short increments as panic took over him. "Oh no, Alfred…please...please hang on! We can help you, just…just…oh god, Francis do something! Help me please!" Arthur could smell the delicious fragrance of Alfred's blood permeating the stale air of the warehouse. He felt disgusted with himself, hating how even now the temptation of blood tried to surface. Suddenly becoming filled with bitterness and anger, Arthur turned to the woman Ivan was currently flinging around the room like a ragdoll. "Take care of her." The Brit pointed and bit out angrily. His emerald eyes were narrowed into slits. Ivan may have been beating the holy hell out of Natalia, but Arthur wouldn't be satisfied until he saw the bitch beheaded and burning in a pile of wood.

Alfred was choking on his own blood as it welled in his throat, coughing it out in thick, wet spurts. His sky blue eyes teared up in pain as he felt himself slowly drain in energy the more he bled out. Upon hearing Arthur's voice and how he pried his arms away from his stomach, Alfred felt a little relief since that meant Ivan wouldn't be fighting alone now. He heard Arthur command either Francis or Ivan to finish Natalia up, then felt Arthur slowly and gently turned him onto his back with his bloody head resting in the Brit's lap. He combed his fingers through Alfred's sticky hair. Alfred gave a pained smile up at the distressed face of his friend. His voice cracked a bit as he asked. "H-Hey Artie, wha-what's shakin'?"

Arthur felt his lips tug into a pitifully miserable smile. "Hush now, idiot…be quiet and save your breath…" Arthur tried to maintain his usual behavior, but it threatened to give way to the panic he was feeling at the moment. "Whatever you do, Alfred, d-don't close your eyes. Keep them open. Don't go to sleep on me, okay?" Arthur watched as the other's eyes drooped dangerously. He shook Alfred a bit, making him moan in pain. But the pain was necessarily for keeping him conscious. Arthur turned to Francis who was still shooting him a look that was torn between horror and uncertainty. "Go. Go help Ivan. I…I'll stay here with Alfred." Arthur watched as the Frenchman swallowed and nodded to him.

Francis hesitantly nodded and flash-stepped to where Ivan was still tossing Natalia round like a rag doll. Ivan himself looked a bit worn out by the fighting and what looked to be a bite mark on the side of his neck, probably from Natalia trying to drain him at one point. The panting ash blonde man tensed from his mindless beating as Francis rested a firm hand on his shoulder. Natalia groaned half consciously in pain, the sound mixed with a bit of a gurgle as her throat welled with blood like Alfred's. "We should finish this, oui?" Francis quietly but firmly asserted, deep blue eyes looking into enraged bright violet as Ivan turned his head slightly to peer at Francis from the corner of his eyes. By the way Ivan's lips curled into a snarl, he could tell that his response was going to be along the lines of, "This isn't nearly enough for her." Before the Russian could even start his sentence, Francis squeezed his shoulder a bit harder and said quickly, "Now Ivan, A-Alfred's running out of time." He quickly glanced at the distressing sight of his lover almost in hysterics while holding a bloody, dying Alfred. The Frenchman's own anguish over the sight showed in the slight waver in his voice when he said Alfred's name.

He saw Ivan pause and glance over to where Arthur and Alfred were. Taking this as his cue, Francis then said. "You kill her Ivan...you deserve that right. I'll get the fire started outside..." After all was this said and done, they'll probably just set fire to the place to rid it of their presence and also because someone might have heard the commotion or would see the smoke when they burn Natalia. So with that, Francis walked off and began crushing some crates for a substantial amount of fire wood.

Ivan turned his now calmer, but still slightly enraged eyes to Natalia. She was barely conscious, drawing in wet, gargled breaths of air. Ivan grabbed her by the hair of her head once more, not taking the slightest bit of pity on her. Giving the massively wounded vampire's head a quick jerk, Ivan heard bones dislocate and Natalia's neck snap. Using his sharp nails as a weapon, Ivan dug into Natalia's neck, tearing through tendons and veins before finally severing it from her body. The now headless body fell limp as Ivan held Natalia's head in his hand, just as she had done to Katyusha all those centuries ago. It was ironic in the sense that Ivan would gain revenge by killing Natalia in the same fashion. Throwing the headless body over his shoulder, he carried Natalia's remains outside and threw it down on the pile of wood Francis had prepared. "You do it." Ivan spoke wearily. Rage dissipating from his heart slowly, his being was overwhelmed with worry and panic as his mind became clearer. "Alfred…oh god, Alfred…" Ivan quickly flash-stepped into the building, crouching down to where Arthur was holding Alfred up, trying to elevate his body. "Let met…let me see him please." Ivan caught sight of the deep wound to Alfred's stomach. The edges of Arthur's pants were soaked with the sanguine liquid, Alfred's blood having pooled out around him. Arthur carefully handed Alfred over to Ivan. The Russian grasped Alfred's hand, alarmed as how cold and clammy it was. Alfred's eyes were sunken in, dark circles underneath them. His mouth and face were stained with blood from having coughed up so much. For the first time since Ivan met Alfred, the smell of the other's blood didn't even register to him.

And yet...he was smiling at Ivan.

Ivan felt tears brim at his eyes, falling over his bloody cheeks. "F-Fredka…" He choked out, feeling as though his heart was about to burst. "O-Oh no…w-what…what do I do? What do I do…" whispered over and over again. He shook his head, sending little droplets of tears flying to the ground. Alfred grasped weakly at his hand, his fingers feeling incredibly weak underneath Ivan's larger ones. "Help me please…" Ivan whimpered, not knowing exactly who or what he was speaking to.

Francis had long since joined their sad little scene, having quickly lit a match to throw into the pile of wood under Natalia's decapitated form. Just beyond the doors to the warehouse you could see the orange glow of the fire slowly engulfing the burning vampire, the smell of smoke just wafting in. It was overpowered though by the strong sweet scent on Alfred blood. It was so painful watching the life seep out of those usually lively blue eyes. Francis bit his lip as eyes welded to Ivan pathetic whimpering form. The usually strong man breaking down was almost as painful as watching his close friend and little brother figure die before him. They could try and flash step to the nearest hospital, but Alfred's already lost a lot of blood and he was bleeding out so fast, he'd be dead before the humans could get him on an operating table. There was only one option for Alfred if they wanted him to live through this.

Francis, whom was behind Arthur, squeezed the Brit's shoulder comfortingly. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Francis suggested quietly. "You could change him."

Ivan's tear soaked eyes widened. Arthur sucked in a shocked breath. "I…I…don't…" Ivan couldn't finish the sentence or formulate his thoughts. He couldn't steal away Alfred's humanity without the other's consent. Even then, he would be incredibly reluctant to do so. But Alfred…oh god, what should he do? He could turn him into an immortal and curse him with eternal life, possibly against his will, or he could let Alfred die naturally just as every other human should. Ivan was torn between the two options; live without Alfred and continue living in misery and mourning, or turn Alfred and live with the guilt of stealing the blonde's humanity away, just as Natalia had stolen his away. Ivan sat stock still, staring at Alfred's slowly fading eyes.

Arthur on the other hand perked up immediately. "N-No! Absolutely not! We…We can't do that! It's not natural, and you know that Francis! I mean…maybe…I don't know…we can save him, perhaps a different way…" Arthur knew he was babbling nonsense, but he refused to agree to change Alfred. One of the things that made Alfred the individual he was was how he radiated humanity. Arthur couldn't imagine seeing those blue eyes a few tones lighter, a pair of fangs poking over his lips, or his beautifully tan skin turning pale and cold.

Francis stayed firm in his option. As much as he didn't want Alfred to be one of them himself, he knew this day would come. Francis was just hoping Alfred would be able to make the decision himself, instead of Ivan deciding for him. "It is not your decision to make mon lapin, it's up to Ivan." Arthur glared at him for a moment, but sighed in reluctant defeat, turning his head back around to stare at Alfred's weakening body. Francis saw the indecision on the Russian's features, caught between condemning Alfred to a life of eternity or watch him fade way and become lifeless.

Alfred's vision was spotty and it felt like he was listening to what was going on around him through a muffler. His stomach felt numb now. He didn't feel agonizing pain in his stomach and he was starting to feel chilly. It was then that realized he realized he was going to die. If his throat hadn't felt so dry despite the blood he spat out earlier and if he didn't feel just so goddamn tired, he was sure he'd be choking in tears of fear. He was going to die here. He would cease to exist on Earth . He wouldn't be able to run, walk, or jump. He would have never finished the boss level on all his video games, he wouldn't be able to argue with Francis and Arthur over whose countries were better at anything. He wouldn't be able to touch, kiss, or hold Ivan anymore. They wouldn't be able to talk about literature and history together for hours on end. They wouldn't skate together, read Shakespeare or romance novels aloud, giggling like school girls the whole time. He wouldn't be able to see all of Ivan's many different smiles anymore...

Looking up at the Russian in question, he saw how torn and anguished Ivan's violet eyes looked. Alfred just couldn't abandon him. He wanted to live. And he'd be damned if he'd let the others let him die to preserve his "humanity". He'd still be Alfred if he turned...just with pointy teeth. Weakly, but with determination, Alfred shakily lifted up his hand to brush some of tears falling from Ivan's watery eyes. With a cracked and weary voice, Alfred mumbled. "Iv-Ivan, I want t-to stay with you, I-I ...I want to live...I lo-love you."

Ivan held his breath, chest tightening at Alfred's pitifully weak voice. He could hear the other's heart fading, the sound weakening with every wet thump. More tears springing forth in Ivan's eyes, he looked down at Alfred with wide and pain-filled eyes. "I…I…" Ivan was at a loss for words. Alfred wanted to live, but did that necessarily mean he wanted to live on that way? Ivan hesitated once more, unable to decide what he should do.

Despite his earlier opinion on the matter, Arthur found himself waiting for Ivan to make the change. Nudging the stunned Russian's shoulder with his hand, Arthur glared at him, his voice full of panic and anger. "You heard him, you Russian idiot! Change him now before he dies! You have his permission!" The Brit internally frowned at his own words. He thought he'd never hear himself utter those words, but the option of losing Alfred was much too painful.

Ivan jolted at Arthur's urging, catching Alfred's dulling blue eyes with his own violet ones. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ivan managed to whisper out in a small voice. "I love you too, Alfred. I'm…I'm going to help you, okay?" Ivan watched as the blonde struggled to keep his eyes open, his azure eyes trying to flutter close of their own accord. Bringing his wrist up to his mouth and despite his blood loss from earlier, Ivan sank his fangs into it and drew a mouthful of blood out. He concentrated his magic into it, sinking all of his reserves into his blood. He wanted Alfred to be strong, so he would use his strongest magic to change him. Ivan drew away from his wrist and inclined his head to meet Alfred's bloodied lips. Any other time, he would have licked the blood off, but now it was different. Ivan used his thumb to part Alfred's lips, letting the magic-infused blood seep into the other's mouth. He urged Alfred to drink it all down, stroking his hand down the other's neck and keeping their lips locked so that a not even a single drop could escape. Ivan could feel the other swallowing down the crimson liquid, his throat contracting as he worked it down. Pulling away from the blood-laced kiss, Ivan watched Alfred intensely, waiting for a sign.

Alfred had just closed his eyes for one second it seemed before a familiar warmth spread through his body. Slowly, it intensified as it spread through him, forcefully changing and altering his physical appearance. Torn muscle tissue sewed itself back together with muscle, fat and skin filling in the spot where Natalia had impaled him with her hand. His muscles felt like they were being pulled, compressed and stressed to their limits, a stinging burning in his eyes and mouth as magic elongated his canines and altered his eyes color. Alfred was writhing at the pain, soft whimpers, groans and cries escaping his sore throat. His heart beat stilled and he felt even chillier then before. After what seemed like an eternity, much like in his old nightmares, but was probably only a short few minutes, he felt his body give out in exhaustion from his previous blood loss and the pain.


	14. Fledgling

As Alfred slowly awoke, he noticed four things. One being that he was resting on something plush and soft. The second being he could smell Ivan's scent everywhere. The third being he could hear everything clearly and focused on the soft breathing of the three other occupants in the room. Finally, he felt lukewarm fingers slowly running through his hair. He realized he must be at Ivan's flat. Not realizing how tense he was, Alfred relaxed as he recognized his surroundings. Blinking his now lighter, sky blue eyes open, he surveyed the room. He was indeed in Ivan's flat's living room, and was apparently lying down on Ivan's couch. Speaking of the Russian, he was perched next to Alfred on the edge of the couch and was petting his head as violet eyes peered into his own blue ones. Francis had a tense and anxious Arthur in his lap as he sat on the coffee table, arms wrapped around the green eyed vampire. Giving them a shaky smile, Alfred asked in a voice rough with sleep and the dull ache he felt in the back of his throat, telling him he was thirsty. "So, what did I miss?"

"A lot. Particularly everything after you was stabbed." Ivan answered him grimly. His wounds had healed quickly since the fight, a quick hunting trip the reason for that. After losing blood during the fight to both injuries and Natalia's bite, sharing his blood and magic with Alfred had been the last bit of energy Ivan could expel. He'd been incredibly weak afterwards and was convinced by Francis to go hunt while he and Arthur watched over Alfred.

Focusing more on Alfred's new appearance, Ivan smiled warmly for the first time in what felt like ages to him. "You look well." That was an understatement. Alfred was fucking beautiful now. Not that he wasn't before, but now he was just absolutely drop dead gorgeous. His blue eyes had lightened a shade or two, colors reflecting the light like diamonds. His skin was pale and flawless, not a single blemish to be seen. And whenever he talked, Ivan could catch the hint of snowy fangs behind his lips. Ivan continued petting Alfred's hair, only reaching down to stroke his cheek or trace his lips. "How do you feel? Is the new body okay?" From his right, Ivan could hear Arthur scoffing a little at the intimacy he was already exhibiting. Though, he knew that deep down that the Brit was just as thankful for Alfred being alive (well, more undead than anything, but still technically alive) as he was.

Alfred felt an easier smile tug on his lips at Ivan's caresses. He was sure he'd be blushing at the PDA Ivan was displaying in front of Francis and Arthur if he still had his human body. It was strange considering himself not human any more, and it would probably take a long time still to get used to even the thought of no longer being considered "human". Alfred hoisted himself up using his arms as a prop behind him until he was sitting up. Rolling his shoulder and wincing a bit, Alfred replied in a slightly more normal tone after coughing in his fist. "Um, my muscles are a bit sore. Especially in my stomach and throat areas. My gums hurt a bit too, but other than that I'm just peachy." He smiled bashfully at Ivan and asked, "So um...how do I look?" He heard Arthur snort, muttering about how he predictable he is in amusement.

Francis chuckled and threw in his two cents. "You look marvelous mon cher." Alfred threw the two of them a wider smile, his pearly white fangs revealing themselves and glistening dangerously despite the harmless nature of the smile.

Drawing Alfred close, Ivan murmured against his temple, "You'll have to learn how to smile correctly in public. Smiling like that in front of regular people would scare them half to death." Ivan poked fun at Alfred not knowing how badly his fangs were showing. "Then again, I don't think they'd mind a death from someone as beautiful as you." Ivan felt the blonde nudge him in the ribs with his elbow and laughed it off.

Arthur finally chose to spoke up, his cynical and usually grumpy posture restored at Alfred's now good health. "I really hope you two don't mind, but I'm not one to sit back and watch two people fawn over each other. So if you don't mind, I think we'll be leaving soon." Arthur watched as Alfred's features depressed into a frown. Realizing the unintentional bite of his words, Arthur added quickly. "It's good to see you well, Alfred. You look good, I promise. And, ah...you had me worried for a small bit there." Arthur tried to muster up a smile. I was an awkward one, but a smile nonetheless. "I'm glad you're okay, lad."

Francis joined Arthur once more and encircled a slim arm around the Brit's waist, giving Alfred a small and polished, but sincere smile. "As am I Alfred. You gave us all quite a scare. It is good to see you well again. You will stop on by soon, oui?" Francis had had to hold back a knowing chuckle as the scowl on his lover's face practically said, "He's better."

Alfred just gave a hearty laugh and nodded his head, "Can do dudes, and sorry. I didn't mean to scare everybody..." Alfred trailed off awkwardly with a guilty smile. Not that he couldn't have avoided the clash between Natalia and him. He had honestly just reacted to seeing Ivan in such a tight spot. The Russian would have surely been drained if Alfred hadn't intervened.

Giving their goodbyes, Francis and Arthur walked out the front door, leaving the Russian and American vampires alone. Ivan turned to Alfred, letting a smile slip onto his face. He had been around fledglings before and had been one himself at one time, but he was still curious as to what Alfred was feeling as an individual. Taking the blonde's hand and sitting back down on the couch, Ivan continued smiling as he asked. "Now…tell me exactly what it's like. I want to know everything. I'm so curious." Ivan looked at Alfred with the eyes of a child eyeing a fancy toy. Although, Alfred's worth was far beyond any material item to Ivan.

Truth be told, as the minutes passed his mouth and throat burned more and more with thirst, his stomach feeling hollow as well as sore from hunger and the repaired flesh that Natalia had mutilated. Licking his dry lips and briefly skimming his tongue over his own new fangs, Alfred answered. "Well, um pretty much what I said earlier. My muscles are sore from the changing I presume, my stomach more so for obvious reasons." Alfred frowned in annoyance at that, but continued. "My gums are sore from my fangs suddenly growing. And my throat burns. My stomach now also feels hollow from hunger." Alfred glanced up hesitantly at Ivan. "I, uh, I'm getting used to the idea of not really being human any more...do I ...do I really have to drain people dry to survive?" If he could avoid killing people as much as possible he would. Alfred sincerely hoped there were some alternatives.

"You could…" Ivan began a little cautiously. "But as a fledgling, your hunger will be much more predominant for the first few years. Even if you wanted to stop feeding, it will be very hard for you to leave your victims alive. Once you enter that feeding frenzy, it's very hard to stop. But I could help you with that. With a little guidance, you can tame your hunger relatively early." Ivan drew his hand over Alfred's clothed stomach, glad that a bloody, gaping wound was no longer there. "If you're hungry, you can try feeding now. It's very strange at first, the concept of sinking your teeth into someone else. You won't be able to use magic yet, since you're still 'young' as a vampire. So for now, you'll just have to make do with trying to lure your victims with your beauty. It will also be a good exercise to shut guilt out, as well. Remember Alfred, people die every day. The food chain exists for a reason."

Alfred frowned deeply at Ivan's words. He understood what Ivan was trying to say, but still...these were people they were talking about. It could be anyone, hell it could have been him not even two months ago! He did feel a bit of relief though that Ivan would help him control his hunger. Despite this slight relief, Alfred shook his head at Ivan's offer, "No...I don't want to um, feed." He couldn't ignore how his throat felt like the Sierras Desert and how his stomach was hollow in hunger. Noticing Ivan's slight grimace of disapproval at the American's refusal to eat, Alfred decided to change the topic. "So, um what exactly happened to Natalia? Is she dead or...?" It was a bit hypocritical of Alfred to wish for the disturbed vampire's death when he was so opposed to killing them to survive, but he didn't really consider Natalia an innocent bystander either.

"Yes, she is dead." Ivan all but growled out, his mood doing a 180 at the mention of Natalia. "She's nothing more than a pile of ash now, probably scattered in a million different directions." Ivan smirked darkly, still feeling deep satisfaction at Natalia's death. Mind wandering back to Alfred's refusal to eat, Ivan's grimace returned to his face. "Alfred…most fledglings are thirsty as soon as they wake up. You can't honestly tell me that you're not." The Russian vampire scooted closer, cupping the American vampire's face in his hands. "Besides, if it makes you too uncomfortable, I can mostly likely do something to help ease your discomfort. One thing you do not want to do is deny your thirst, Alfred."

Alfred nearly jumped a bit at the sudden dark aura that seemed to radiate from Ivan at the mention of his long time tormentor. He did feel a bit of relief at the news though, having dreaded the thought of confronting that psychotic bitch again. Alfred fidgeted on the couch a bit as Ivan cupped his face and pleaded with him not to hold in his hunger. "I-I just… I'm still getting used to the idea of not being human! Much less the possibility of having to kill or accidentally killing people!" He knew it came with the package, and he didn't regret his decision to change so he could be with Ivan. It would still, though, take him a long time though to even be slightly okay with feeding off people. He asked warily, "How can you help 'ease my discomfort'?"

Ivan averted his eyes in thought. "I can bleed the victims out and bring the blood to you for a small while. But it will taste cold and stale by the time I give it to you. Though, if you're not too worried about flavor, it still works. However, I can only do this for a short while. You'll have to learn to do it on your own before too long." Ivan turned his violet eyes back to Alfred, continuing on in a smooth tone. "I can…also share my blood with you, if it ever comes to that. It's not uncommon between fledglings and their creators. Many creators actually adore the whole aspect of it." Ivan's lips pulled into a sheepish smile. "Fledglings are…susceptible to their creator's blood. It's very…invigorating, I guess you could say." Although he hated to remember it, Natalia had fed Ivan her blood early on. He hated remembering how good it had tasted at the time. Though, after centuries of the hurt and pain she had caused him, Ivan was certain that nothing could make Natalia's blood taste any less bitter than he perceived it to be.

There was something darkly humorous about Ivan carrying a container of blood home like it was Chinese takeout or something. With a snort Alfred, shook his head at the first suggestion. The second one, however, perked Alfred's interest a bit. Looking at Ivan with curious blue eyes, he hesitantly asked. "Would you...would you be okay with that? Y'know me feeding off ya until I'm used to all this?" Alfred didn't want to force Ivan into doing that if he was uncomfortable with it, but the idea did appeal to Alfred a bit. It wouldn't be much different from Alfred giving Ivan love bites. It would be convenient and Ivan could pull him off if he started taking too much. He also knew how sensitive Ivan's neck was and how he seemed to enjoy it when giving Alfred some of his own blood those few times Ivan fed off him. Suddenly, the burning in his throat intensified in thirst and a bit of arousal traveled down south at the thought of drinking from Ivan.

"Of course I would be okay with that. I'm more than fine with it, actually." Ivan didn't miss the suddenly hungry look in Alfred's eyes or how he licked his lips. "Especially if it keeps you sated and healthy. I would do anything for you, Alfred." Ivan spoke softly, caressing the line of Alfred's jaw with his fingertips. "You look awfully thirsty right now."

He'd do anything for Ivan as well. The fact that he literally almost died for the vampire and became part of the undead for him were a testament to that. Smiling up coyly at Ivan, he took one of the fingers brushing his jaw into his mouth, sucking on it softly. "I'm a bit thirsty." He mumbled around his finger, a bit being an understatement. Ivan raised an eyebrow at Alfred's actions, but hummed a bit in approval at the gentle suction on his index finger. That hum however soon turned into a sharp intake of breath when Alfred pricked Ivan's thick and pale finger with one of his new fangs. Alfred suckled on the finger as scarlet drops of blood beaded where he pricked the Russian's skin. As soon as sanguine liquid touched his tongue, Alfred's pupils dilated at the rich and sweet taste of it. A low growl rumbled in the back of Alfred's throat as his hunger clouded his mind slightly. Pulling away from Ivan's finger, giving the tip on last lick to get off anymore beads of blood, Alfred slowly leaned forward. One hand slowly unwrapped Ivan's scarf from his neck, Alfred licked his lips and fangs slightly. Once the scarf was safely off, Alfred skimmed Ivan's neck with wet lips, looking for a vein. Once he found a good spot he kissed, licked and sucked on the spot to soften the skin.

"O-Oh…" Ivan breathed out, shuddering a little at the close proximity of Alfred and his wet mouth on his neck. He'd been a little surprised by the nick to his finger, but good lord…once he saw Alfred's reaction to tasting blood as a vampire for the first, time, the small bit of pain was all but forgotten. Alfred had a deep hunger in his eyes now, and Ivan would be lying if he said that he didn't find it attractive. The moist lips and tongue trailing over the skin of his neck were causing cool, pleasant shivers to run down Ivan's back. His breathing became hitched at the attention Alfred was giving his neck, his breaths coming in short, but deep. Urging Alfred on, Ivan whispered out breathlessly. "Don't think about it. Just bite down, but don't do it too hard."

Despite how Alfred's hunger was clouding his intuition, he nodded at the instructions. Pulling away from Ivan's neck just enough to let the young vampire open his mouth wider, he sank his smooth and sharp fangs slowly into the spot he licked and kissed earlier. It felt weird at first, having his teeth under the skin of Ivan's neck. Those feeling however changed back into hunger as Ivan let out a throaty moan at the bite and Ivan's sweet and creamy blood entered his mouth. Dear god, did it taste heavenly. What had Alfred been missing? With a low moan of his own, Alfred sucked greedily at Ivan's neck, his head tilted at an awkward angle. Withdrawing from Ivan's neck again he shifted himself on the couch so he was now straddling Ivan's lap. Looking up at Ivan with half lidded, dilated sky blue eyes, Alfred licked his blood stained lips and wrapped his arms around Ivan's neck. His hunger not nearly sated, Alfred leaned forward again, licking a new spot on Ivan's jugular before slipping his fangs in a bit more hastily then last time and sucking a bit harder. Loud moans left Alfred's throat as Ivan's blood slid down his parched throat, a bit of blood from his earlier bite mark dribbling down Ivan's neck and pooling at his collar.

The platinum haired vampire moaned loudly, throwing his head back against the couch as Alfred's fangs sank easily and effortlessly into his neck. Ivan felt a pang of pleasure shoot down his spine at the sucking on his neck, his head swimming in a sudden fog of lust and want. Feeling the blonde pull away too quickly, Ivan was just about to let out a whine of protest until he saw what Alfred was doing. He helped Alfred to straddle his lap. Ivan wrapped his arms around the blonde, closing his eyes as he felt Alfred's fangs slip into his neck once again, though this time he did it with a much more hunger and vigor. Feeling a jolt at the hard sucking on his neck and the way Alfred was pressing himself against Ivan, rutting slightly, the Russian couldn't help but moan almost deliriously as his lover and fledgling fed off of him. He grabbed Alfred's hips, grinding up into the other as Alfred drank from him hungrily. Ivan could feel blood pooling at the bite wounds, drenching his neck and dripping down into his clothing. But he didn't care, because good lord, it felt fucking amazing. "A-Ahhhnn, Alfred…oh god, yes…please…" Ivan panted out, breathing escalating with each stab of pleasure from Alfred's sucking and his grinding.

Alfred let out a low whine of pleasure as Ivan's hips were grinding up into Alfred's firmer, but still plush ass. Actually, Alfred's overall body had become somewhat more defined muscularly, but he still held a bit of his softness from when he was a human. Alfred continued to ravenously drink from Ivan, never seeming to be able to get enough of Ivan's creamy and delicious blood. After a couple more minutes of the two of them moaning, groaning, grinding and rutting together, Alfred heard Ivan's breathing become more ragged and not entirely from the pleasure coursing through his veins at Alfred feeding off of him. "A-Alfred, that's enough." The Russian breathed out, the younger of the two having had enough and if Alfred took anymore, Ivan ran the risk of losing too much blood himself.

Alfred was sincerely trying to stop, but his feeding instincts were taking over. Unable to control himself, Alfred continued to drink down more of Ivan's sweet blood. Alfred felt a familiar large hand cup the back of his head before tangling in his sunshine colored hair and firmly, but trying not to be too rough, tugged the young fledgling off his neck. Blood trickled down Ivan's neck once more as some also trickled down Alfred's own chin. Eyes still half lidded as if in some sort of sated daze, Alfred panted out in slight embarrassment at his inability to control himself, "S-Sorry..."

"It's…okay…" Ivan said slowly, feeling drained of energy. His eyes drooped a little, and his body felt tired. Alfred had taken more than he was planning on giving him, so Ivan was feeling a little weak in the knees at the moment. Though, he'd admit that the dazed and blurry feeling wasn't entirely unpleasant. He felt like he needed a long nap, but sleeping wasn't the solution to his little dilemma. "I'm going to have to go feed now." The Russian announced, looking up into Alfred's slightly wide, crystal-like eyes. Seeing how the blonde's guilty expression didn't fade, Ivan rubbed his back gently, trying to smooth the coil out of Alfred's muscles. "I promise you, I'm fine. I know how hard it must be for you to stop. Don't feel bad about something you can't control."

Alfred nodded, still not entirely relieved of his guilt. The fact that he wasn't able to control himself was a bit frightening. Hopefully Ivan really would be able to help him control it early. Tentatively. he tilted his head and began to lap up at the thin trickle of blood that was trailing down his lover's neck. He almost felt hunger consume him again as the sweet liquid hit his altered taste buds, but after a couple calming breaths, he continued to rid Ivan's neck of anymore blood. Pulling back, he gave Ivan a deep slow kiss. He wouldn't admit it, but he'd been so scared he'd die and never be able to do this with Ivan again. The kiss stayed slow as Alfred's tongue gently probed the inside of Ivan's mouth. Alfred parted from the lingering kiss after briefly suckling on Ivan's upper lip, leaving the taste of his own blood in the platinum blonde's mouth. Alfred smiled up at Ivan , murmuring as he played with the hair on the back of Ivan's head. "When you get back, we hafta figure out what we're going to do from here. Since I'm kinda a vampire now too."

"Da," Ivan answered softly, licking his lips after the kiss. He could still taste Alfred's unique taste on them. "I'm sorry, but you know that you won't be able to finish your schooling. At least, not yet. Maybe in a couple years, whenever you've fully tamed your thirst and impulses and have learned how to behave without revealing your true nature…you can do it again." Ivan gently scooted Alfred off his lap and stood up. He felt a little dizzy from the initial blood loss. Vampires had a higher tolerance for blood loss than humans did by a longshot, but Alfred had taken quite a bit from Ivan – a whole night's worth of feeding, to be exact. Alfred stood up along with him, having yet to wipe away the blood staining his mouth and chin. Ivan used the edge of his jacket to dab the blood off. "I'll be back very shortly. Please, do not leave the flat, Alfred. You won't be able to leave unless I accompany you. Remember, not only is it a matter of controlling your desires, but it also involves hiding our secret from the world. People must never know what we truly are." Ivan kissed Alfred on the lips before parting and heading for the door.

Alfred felt a bit disappointed about not being able to finish college, but he understood why...well at least he could try online college if all else failed. It was also a bit annoying that his freedom and independence was being impeded on, but as before he understood it was unnecessary. Though he really hadn't been planning on leaving the flat anytime soon, despite his erm..."meal", he still felt pretty tired. Waving at his lover's retreating back, he called back teasingly, "Well failed at that last bit with me buddy. See ya in a lil' while big guy, and don't worry. I'll probably be snoozing when you get back. Still tired from all the shit that went down." As if to verify his statement, he felt a yawn come up. In response to his teasing and yawning, Ivan just waved and chuckled as he opened the door and headed out. When the door closed, Alfred let a light frown settle on his face as he flopped back on the couch. Reaching for the remote, he flipped it on to a random channel. Curling up in the corner of the couch, he couldn't help but think about how odd it felt to send Ivan off to go and kill someone, though he supposed he'd just have to get used to it. Even when Alfred is able to control his hunger enough not to kill someone, and had enough magic to erase their memories, he knew Ivan would still drain his own victims dry. It bothered him certainly, but he couldn't force himself to love the Russian any less despite his boyfriend's apathy for their victims.

Alfred's mind wondered about what his new life would have in store for him and what his feelings were on these changes as he mindlessly watched whatever channel he landed on. He slowly felt his eyes droop shut until the only sounds in the living room was the sound of the TV and Alfred's soft and leveled breathing as he slept curled into the corner of the couch.

-x-

Ivan had returned from hunting about 2 hours later. He walked into his flat to find Alfred curled up on the couch asleep. Though vampires didn't really need sleep, he understood that Alfred's body would need time to fully adjust to the vampire lifestyle. The room was dark, save for the TV which was bathing the living room in a dim light. Taking a seat on the edge of the couch, Ivan began stroking his fingers through Alfred's hair. The blonde nuzzled into his touch unconsciously, moaning lightly in his sleep. After a few minutes of Ivan's petting, Alfred's eyes begin to flutter open. He mumbled something sleepily, looking up at Ivan with sleep-fogged eyes. "How do you feel now?" Ivan asked quietly.

Alfred looked up at Ivan with groggy lighter blue eyes and then scooted closer to the Russian. Snuggling into the older vampire's side, he rested his head against Ivan's broad shoulder and mumbled his reply, "Still a bit tired, but I'm ready to talk 'n stuff." Alfred took the hand closest to his in his hands, playing with the callused and large hand before intertwining their fingers. Alfred briefly mused at how Ivan didn't feel cool anymore, but lukewarm now considering they more or less had the same body temperature now. "What can I expect to happen being a fledgling now?" Alfred asked as he peered up at Ivan in curiosity. Alfred didn't want any surprises, considering they'd probably just make him freak out and over react.

"Hmm…" Ivan hummed in thought, sorting through his own memories of himself being a fledgling and meeting various other fledglings through his travels. "Fledglings are naturally unstable in many ways. Emotionally, physically, and sometimes mentally depending on the person. You, however, seem very normal to me, so we don't have to worry about the latter. Don't be surprised if you get caught up in strange…mood swings. They can hit all of a sudden and completely change how you act. It will also take a while for you to become used to your new strength. You will have to be much easier with the things you were previously rough with." Alfred already had unnatural strength as a human. Ivan wondered just how much that strength had been multiplied. "Vampires have certain urges that can largely influence how we act as well. Naturally, we are very alluring and seductive creatures. The truth of the matter is that there is a reason we act that way." If Ivan could blush, he would have begun to feel the tell-tale warmth spread across his cheeks as he went on. "We possess very prominent sex drives. Sometimes we crave it more than the blood. It's good to take some pressure off in a while. Most vampires use sex as a prelude to the feast. Though, I'm sure you and I won't be doing that at all." Ivan had given up his nights of luring his victims into bed since he and Alfred formed a romantic relationship with each other. He could never betray the other like that. "Don't be surprised if random strangers are attracted to you. It happens a lot. The best thing to do is to learn how to ignore all the attention. You don't want to draw attention to yourself, and it's quite hard to prevent that from happening, considering we're engineered to allure those around us."

Alfred was sure he would be blushing too if he still could, maybe even more so than Ivan. He smiled up at Ivan playfully though and said. "Don't think I'll have to worry about my sex drive with you around big guy. You're more than enough. 'Sides, doubt I'd find anyone as big as you~" Alfred teased Ivan at the end, patting his leg as his eyes sparkled mischievously. The idea of having random and assumingly violent mood swings made his stomach twist uncomfortably. He didn't want to hurt Ivan, or anyone else, but especially Ivan. Alfred's playful smile slowly morphed into a concerned frown. "What'll we do when I start havin' these, uh mood swings?"

"Well, the best thing to do is to try leaving you alone." Ivan said, still smiling a bit awkwardly, especially after Alfred's rather lewd comment. "Whenever you're angry like that, the worst thing a person can do is to pester you trying to figure out what's wrong. But if that doesn't work, then I suppose I'll just sit on you until you get over whatever it is that's making you pissy." Ivan laughed a little at the mental image of him straddling Alfred while holding his arms down. He could already see the other spitting insults at him and trying to kick out like a child throwing a temper tantrum. "And if you're afraid of hurting me, then you have nothing to worry about. I've dealt with much, much worse things than a newborn vampire throwing a hissy fit." Ivan laughed again at the flustered look that appeared on Alfred's face at his jabs.

Alfred pouted, a bit flustered at the jabs making him out to be some hormonal teenage girl on her period. He lightly and playfully elbowed Ivan and half heartily threatened. "I'll bite you...and it'll hurt 'cause I have fangs now." Ivan just laughed a bit and kissed Alfred's forehead. "So what do we do now? I can't just disappear off the face of the earth, what'll we do about my college, job, and life back in the states?" These were certainly draw backs. He couldn't exist anymore to the government or else people will get suspicious of why he doesn't seem to age. This brought up another interesting question to Alfred's mind. "How do you travel from border to border or country to country? You'd need like an id and passport at least to be able to bypass border patrol or security places and police men. Not to mention when renting places like your flat! Also, how did you become so rich?" Really, there were so many questions Alfred could ask, the more he thought about them the more he came up with. Unconsciously, he started playing with the heart necklace Ivan had given him when they first started dating. Much like Mattie's glasses, he never took it off if he could help it, though it usually stayed hidden under his shirt. It was actually a miracle it even survived the whole Natalia situation.

"So many questions," Ivan chastised halfheartedly. But he would end up answering them sooner or later, so it wouldn't hurt to get the majority of them out of the way. He was fairly surprised that Alfred was just now beginning to question his wealth. "As for you, if it bothers you too much to simply disappear from society, I suppose I could contact some old 'friends' and have them replicate your death. Of course, the body they will procure will be too damaged to identify, even through dental, so it will be closed casket. As for passes and identification, every couple years or so, we will have to update our IDs and change our names slightly. Of course, I will always be Ivan Braginsky, and you Alfred F. Jones, but our names will be completely different on our IDs. You will need to make it a priority to remember your fake name, too. The only times you will have to use it, though, is for whenever dealing with officials. Casual conversation with others is okay. We will need to procure another ID for you before we leave here, so that they don't see that Alfred F. Jones is indeed alive and on his way to the states." Ivan sorted through Alfred's other questions, determining what he was going to say. "My wealth? Whenever you have lived as long as I have, how can you not accumulate wealth? Money, after all, is very important in this day and age. As for how I acquired it, tell me Alfred…how are banks supposed to know who robbed them whenever their cameras cannot even pick up the culprit because they are moving too fast? Or what about how they cannot pick up our fingerprints?" Ivan smiled slyly, watching the information sink into Alfred. The blonde grimaced a bit, obviously not happy with Ivan's thievery. "If it makes you feel any better, I sometimes donate to the less unfortunate." Because Ivan had been one of those people in his past life and had lived through generations of seeing people starve to death because they were so poor. "As for passports and what not, that is also an easy one. There are more people who are able to procure fake passports than you think. The quality of them depends on how much money you're willing to pay, but as you know, that's not really a problem. All the officials who have run into me have never shown signs of being suspicious of my identity."

Alfred face palmed. He really shouldn't be surprised that Ivan doing all sorts of illegal activity. He actually kind of expected the whole foraged IDs and passports. What he didn't think of is that Ivan robbed freaking banks and somehow had connections with people who could fake his death. With an over dramatic groan Alfred asked, "Do I even want to know who these 'friends' are and how the hell you met them?" He also wondered what kind of death they'd pull to explain his maimed body. Car crash, hate crime, suicide, random murder? If his body would be so unrecognizable how the hell would they know it was Alfred to begin with? Deciding they could work out the kinks later, Alfred asked a question a bit more on the lighter side. "Hey, are we gonna live in France some more or are we gonna move back to the States, Russia, or someplace else?"

"We can go back to the States, I suppose, but it won't be for a little while." Ivan mused, pulling Alfred into an embrace. He let the blonde get comfortable in his lap before continuing. "We have to go back there anyways. And I suppose it would be good for you to be…home...the first few years of being a fledgling. I guess what I'm saying is that familiarity will help ease any stress you feel." That, and Ivan hadn't been to the States in a while and he had been meaning to return to America in a short while anyway. He wondered if there was still the mass expanse of sprawling sunflower fields in Kansas. The sun would be awfully annoying, even in the midst of winter, but Ivan wouldn't mind it too much. The summer, however, was a completely different story.

Alfred leaned back in Ivan's hold, his back flush against Ivan's front as he got comfortable in Ivan's hold. Alfred let a small, content smile cross his face. He liked it when Ivan held him. It felt nice to Alfred to be completely enveloped by Ivan's larger body. It was comforting in a sense, like being hugged by a giant teddy bear. Alfred nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah, going back to the states would be nice. Where would ya like to go? Like climate wise, I don't particularly mind which state we wind up in. I've been to more than half already for family vacations. Though we can't live anywhere near Virginia. I lived up in Arlington, Virginia up until college. Also went to an in state college." As cruel as it was to say, if he ever took Ivan to his home town, it'd have to be after everyone from his generation were good and dead. They couldn't risk Alfred, who would supposedly to be dead by that point, being recognized. Though Alfred could pretty much guess Ivan would want to live somewhere up north since he was used to colder climates or near Kansas or South Dakota, considering the Russian's dream to live near sunflowers.

"Well, I'm okay with anywhere you want to go." Ivan poked the side of Alfred's cheek at the 'you'. "However, I would prefer to be in, or near a decent sized city, that way our feeding habits won't draw to much attention. The longer we stay inconspicuous, the longer we can stay in one spot." Pressing a kiss to Alfred's neck, he mumbled against the now pale skin. "We'll figure it out as soon as we arrive over there. There's plenty of places we can go to and the expenses will be taken care of. So be thinking good and hard about where you want to be, Alfred. I really don't mind."

Alfred tilted his head to kiss Ivan's temple and smiled against his hair. "Like I said big guy, I really don't care either way. Since I'm sure you haven't been to the states in a while, you should pick out where we go. 'Sides, I'm sure you'll either want live in a cooler climate or near sunflowers." He really wanted Ivan to choose, considering it would be fun exploring wherever the vampire chose. Besides, Ivan knew better than he did where appropriate places would be. Near a big city for sure like Ivan said, but also a bit secluded so if Alfred went ballistic he wouldn't go on a feeding frenzy and cause a big murder scene.

"Alfred…" Ivan began, his tone a bit patronizing. Sighing, the Russian vampire racked his mind for places, going through his knowledge of the United States' geography. After a small bit of thinking with some suggestions thrown in by Alfred, Ivan finally managed to narrow it down to one place. "Well, you're right about the sunflowers and the cool climate. Kansas has sunflowers, but I imagine that it's a bit too hot and sunny there. Also, it's not exactly known for its sprawling cities. You mentioned South Dakota, da? It's a little bit up north, so the sun cover and heat isn't as bad…and it also has sunflowers. Don't get me wrong, Fredka, but we don't need to move to a certain place just because it has sunflowers." Ivan thought it was a bit silly, if not still really sweet, that Alfred thought he'd want to move someplace particularly because it had sunflowers. It was cute, though.

Alfred grinned up at Ivan. He knew they didn't need to. Alfred just wanted to help Ivan fulfill his dream, even if it was a small and simple one like living in a warm place with sunflowers. "I know~ Just figured you'd prefer it! Once again like I said, I really don't mind were we live, I just don't wanna hurt anyone if I can help it." Alfred nuzzled his face into Ivan's neck, a small yawn escaping as he did so. "Anything else we should probably talk about now? Anything else you might wanna warn me about?" Alfred was still a bit tired and wanted to sleep a bit more, but if they had anything they needed to discuss now he could wait.

"Hmm, yes." Ivan hummed quietly, stroking down Alfred's back. "There is one last thing." Ivan turned Alfred a small bit in his lap and tilted the other's chin up with his fingertips. Leaning down, he captured Alfred's lips in a slow and sensual kiss, tongue flicking out to lick the blonde's lips and dip into his mouth. Ivan pulled away a short moment later, whispering against Alfred's lips. "You might have to get used to me touching you a lot more. I don't think I'll ever be able to keep my hands off of you now."

Alfred hummed into the kiss, enjoying the feel of Ivan's tongue probing his mouth for a few short seconds. At Ivan's comment he let out an amused snort. Raising an eyebrow, Alfred teased Ivan a bit. "You were showing restraint before?" He laughed a bit, a warm and bright smile on his face. Leaning up, he placed another kiss on Ivan's lips, keeping it chaste but still slow and lingering. Pulling his soft lips off of Ivan's now warm ones, he tilted his head a bit higher, pecking the Russian's nose. "You'll have to wait for more later though, big guy. I'm still pretty tired, and want to sleep some more." Alfred mumbled as he drew back. Honestly though, he wouldn't mind Ivan laying his hands on him more often, he quite enjoyed the feel of the Russian.

"Okay, okay." Ivan laughed softly. Before Alfred could hop off his lap, the Russian managed to scoop him up in his arms and stand up. As usual, Ivan automatically got a string of protests from Alfred, the blonde claiming that this was not manly in the least. Ivan ignored him with a patient smile as he headed off into their bedroom for some relaxation and more pillow talk.


	15. Side Effects

That following week after Alfred turned had been a hectic one, what with Alfred having to call in sick once more to work, talking over their plans with Francis and Arthur, and Ivan planning out Alfred's death with his "old friends". Not to mention Ivan having to practically go out every other night to feed so Alfred could feed off him. In the end though, they had decided that Alfred would die in a fatal car crash that would leave him mangled beyond recognition. They had set it up so it looked like Alfred had rented a car to go driving outside the city limits. That's where he supposedly hit black ice on a sharp curve, lost control of his vehicle, then the vehicle pretty much flipped and skidded across the ground until it was a mangled and crushed mess. As a final touch, they made it look like gasoline and ignition fluid leaked out and caught fire. Needless to say, it made for a tragic story in the news. And a week or so after the "accident", Alfred's body had been shipped off to Arlington to be buried. Luckily, by that time Ivan's "friends" were able to procure Alfred with his new ID and passport, and after a brief goodbye to Arthur and Francis - promising to stay in touch - Ivan and Alfred followed his "body" back to America. It was Alfred's will that he attend his own funeral. Ivan couldn't really figure out why, but he supposed the blonde's reasons were his own.

Alfred watched as people dressed in blacks, dark purples, and blues shuffled into the rows of fold out chairs that faced a small podium. Most of the people looked to be his age, since they were in fact classmates he had in college and a few in high school. There were a few older looking people though, teachers and old family friends. With solemn features and even a few with tears in their eyes, they faced the podium which held a balding preacher whom seemed to be droning on and on about youth being taken away and how God had a purpose for taking the people he chose in their prime. It was a clear, sunny, and cold day in Arlington, Virginia. A perfect day for an outdoor funeral. His funeral to be exact.

Alfred snorted and looked up at his tall, fair skinned, and violet eyed companion with melancholy eyes and a sardonic smile. "Never figured I'd be attending my own funeral." Ivan glanced down at him and gave him a small, sad smile before squeezing the hand placed in his comfortingly. After this brief exchange, they refocused their attention on the proceeding funeral from their safe location on top of a hill.

Once the preacher closed his speech, the friends and old acquaintances were allowed to approach the coffin and say their last goodbyes. Ivan watched as they each took turns speaking to what they thought was the coffin that contained Alfred's body. Some even burst out into loud sobs, crying out all their woes and regrets. At his side, Ivan could hear the intake of breath from Alfred, the tell-tale sound of crying threatening to start. He wrapped an arm around the blonde, pulling him close. Ivan kissed Alfred's temple, whispering reassuringly. "You were a good person Alfred. It's only right that so many people will miss you. But you must understand that you can never see them again. It's…it's part of the sacrifices one must make whenever they make the change."

Alfred gave a humorless laugh and tried to wipe away the tears threatening to spill from now icier colored blue eyes. "Y-Yeah, I know. I don't regret my decision. Most of these people were just acquaintances who probably wouldn't be in touch with me later in life..." That still didn't mean he felt horrible for leaving them behind, or that he wouldn't miss them to some degree. It was funny that all these people who barely knew him or were just sort of party buddies all came to morn his death. Everyone he had contact with since high school and college were there, except...

"I...I'm not sure rather or not I'm surprised my folks didn't show up." Alfred added softly. He really didn't know if he should feel heart broken or relieved about it. On one hand, it hurt that his own parents didn't attend his own funeral, having completely cut him from their lives and hearts. On the other hand though, he felt a bit of closure with things being this way. Had his parents come he'd have a harder time letting go now and saying good bye.

It was nearing the end of the services and some of Alfred's old friends, teachers, and a classmate or two were giving short speeches about how they would miss Alfred. The last person to go up shocked Alfred. He'd been surprised when he first noticed that his ex had shown up. Now he was preaching about how he'd miss Alfred, and supposedly regretted how things ended between them. Alfred's eyes narrowed in anger for a brief moment, "Well he sure has some nerve..." Alfred growled quietly. Though as quickly as his anger appeared, it disappeared with a sigh threw his nose as he closed his eyes, and just let it go. Because that's why Alfred insisted they go to his funeral, he wanted this to be his final goodbye, to let go of his past both good and bad as well as bid farewell to his old life and humanity. Because he now had a new life starting, one that will certainly be just as hard if not harder than his old one. He glanced up at the person he'd sacrificed his very humanity for, how he was tensed and glaring menacingly at his ex, violet eyes slit and his fangs pointing out in a snarl . Alfred felt a smile tug on his lips, the first sincere one he's been a able to pull since they arrived here. Alfred closed his eyes and let a couple tears escape. Yeah, this was goodbye and his new life certainly would be difficult, but... he was worth it. Ivan was worth it and he'd never regret that.

Alfred tugged Ivan's scarf to gain his attention. When violet eyes met icy blue, Alfred leaned up to give him a soft kiss. "I love you." He mumbled against Ivan's lips, before pulling back to smile at the Russian.

Ivan smiled back against Alfred's mumbled 'I love you'. He waited until the other had pulled back before answering back softly. "And I love you." They then turned back to the funeral, watching as old friends and elders bid their farewells. The casket was lowered into the ground and a couple of laborers began filling the depression with dirt. Soon Alfred's casket was fully covered and everyone began to disperse slowly, returning to their vehicles and continuing on with their lives. As soon as everyone had left and the sun had begun setting, Ivan was led down to Alfred's fresh grave. Engraved on the tombstone that had been set up there was Alfred F. Jones. Born in 1993 on July 4th. Passed away on January 17th, 2013. Under the dates was a small elegy. A son, a student, and a bright, young man. May he rest in peace.

The sound started off as barely audible at first, but slowly grew. Ivan turned to find Alfred sobbing softly, staring down at the final remnants of his human life. Feeling his heart clench uncomfortably, Ivan managed to whisper out. "Fredka…" He held his arms open for Alfred, waiting for him to move.

Alfred looked up at Ivan with salty tears cascading down his face, eyes slightly red in irritation and sniffling. Seeing Ivan's open arms, offering comfort and security, Alfred quickly moved to fill them. Wrapping his arms around Ivan's middle, Alfred buried his face in between the larger man's neck and shoulder, letting Ivan's precious scarf catch his tears as sobs racked his trembling body. Ivan held him for several minutes, one arm wrapped around Alfred's back and the other rubbing soothing circles into the younger's back. When sobs turned into soft sniffles, Alfred murmured into Ivan's scarf, "Sorry big guy. I'm fine. It's just hard to say goodbye."

Swallowing, Ivan managed a broken smile, his own thoughts drifting back to his older sister. "I know." He continued to rub Alfred's back, waiting for his crying to completely die down. Soon, the now night air was cool and quiet, no longer filled with the sounds of a preacher, or friends, or anymore crying. Cupping Alfred's face, Ivan angled it up so he could look directly at the other. "Are you ready to go home?"

Alfred gave a shaky laugh. They were currently staying in a nice and relatively inexpensive hotel. Through all the chaos of planning Alfred's "death" and obtaining fake licenses, ID, and passports, Ivan had still somehow managed to look online and found a small, but cozy little house just outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota they could rent. Sioux Falls was the most heavily populated city in South Dakota and though the summers would be humid and hot, the winters would nice and cold with moderate snowfall. The best part was the house was right next to a pretty impressive sunflower field, something Alfred knew Ivan appreciated. Even if he denied it, that was one of the main reasons he liked the house. They were planning to leave for their new home in a week or so, maybe longer. Ivan warned him they'd be taking a rather early flight and that Alfred would have to feed before they got on the plane. Nothing would be worse than a hungry vampire inside a plane, hundreds upon thousands of feet in the air surrounded by hundreds of people. "Yeah, let's go home. You still need to feed." Alfred replied in response to Ivan's question. Gripping the hands cupping his face, Alfred gently pulled them off. He kept one in his grasp though as they made their way into the early night and headed back towards their hotel.

All throughout their walk back to their hotel, Ivan's eyes kept flickering back and forth between the ground and Alfred's face. There was something not right here. Ivan could feel it in his gut. Alfred was…there was something uneasy about him. Tension was plastered all over the blonde's face. His eyes were slightly narrowed, his brows drawn together in a bothered expression. Even his smiles had been strained and mostly fake looking for the past day. Trying to force his unease down at Alfred's new behavior, Ivan kept quiet, deeming the situation too delicate to address in the middle of the street.

He waited until they had arrived back at their hotel room and closed the door before turning to Alfred with a worried expression. "Fredka, are you okay…?" Ivan's tone was cautious. He didn't know why, but the situation felt slightly dangerous. But it was Alfred. How could anything about Alfred make alarm bells go off in Ivan's mind? Yet, there they were, ringing and telling Ivan that something wasn't right about the blonde.

He didn't get a response. Alfred remained standing in the middle of their room, legs seemingly welded to the spot. His hands were drawn up into tight fists, his fingers straining against each other. Ivan was legitimately worried now. He took a step forward, reaching out for Alfred. "Alfred-"

Alfred jerked from Ivan's touch. He was going through one of those mood swings Ivan had warned him about. They had been coming and going all week. He figured it was all the stress of accepting his new nature as a vampire, moving around, and trying to plan his death and all that sort of triggered them. Now he thinks it was his high emotional state from attending the funeral that was making him edgy. He looked up at Ivan with slightly unfocused blue eyes and swallowed dryly, noticing how shocked and confused Ivan looked from Alfred jerking away from him. He tried giving the Russian a shaky smile as he said, "I'm fine big guy, I-I think I'm just experiencing one of those mood swings again." Luckily, his other ones happened when Ivan would be off doing something, leaving Alfred to calm down in his flat. So far they had been pretty mild, only lasting a couple hours at most, and only once getting agitated enough to throw a vase with some flowers in it at the wall. Once he had calmed down, he cleaned it up and when Ivan came home, he told him he just bumped into it by accident. He knew Ivan saw the water stain on the opposite wall, but he didn't interrogate Alfred about it.

Flopping down on the bed in their room, Alfred hunched over the side of the bed where he sat and brought one his hands to rub his forehead. Squeezing his eyes shut, he looked like he was fighting a bad migraine and in a sense he was. His head was throbbing from trying to suppress the violent thoughts that the mood swing was trying to tell him were a good idea. With a slight growl in his voice, he suggested to Ivan. "I think I'll try and sleep it off. You can hunt while I'm out..." Alfred didn't want to wake up alone. It brought back unpleasant feelings. However, it would be a good time for Ivan to go hunting and he didn't want Ivan to get caught in the crossfire if he wakes up in a fouler mood then what he was currently trying to hold back.

Ivan swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. Had he been this bad as a fledgling with his mood swings? He nodded hesitantly, backtracking to the door and opening it. "I…I'll be back later, okay?" He didn't get a response from Alfred, concluding that the other was in too bad of a mood to reply nicely. Ivan left the hotel, or more like escaped from the dark aura of Alfred's fowl and smothering mood. Ivan could only hope that maybe Alfred's mood would improve over time. It didn't help that there was so many stressful things going on in his life at the moment. If anything, it just amplified the effects of the mood swings, making them just that more dangerous.

-x-

A couple days passed in awful silence. Ivan went out hunting every night. Usually, he could wait about 3 days before having to hunt again, but Alfred refused to go outside the hotel. Even more so, he didn't want to drink from Ivan anymore. So, in order to satisfy Alfred's thirst, Ivan had to leave the hotel twice as much to feed himself and gather blood for Alfred. He brought it back in a plastic container for the other and watched as Alfred drank the now cold and thin liquid with a grimace on his face. Afterwards, he'd toss the container to the side, not caring where it went or if leftover blood managed to spill out. And then he'd just lie down on the bed with his back facing Ivan, refusing to meet the other vampire's gaze.

Ivan felt rejected in a sense, like maybe Alfred didn't want him anymore. Maybe the reality of the situation was finally catching up with the blonde and he realized just how much he didn't want this. Maybe he was silently cursing Ivan for dooming him to this empty existence forever after having to witness his own funeral. Ivan tried to tell himself that it was just Alfred's mood swings, but the seed of doubt was now planted in his mind and was growing along with Alfred's detachment to him.

And so Ivan refrained from touching Alfred at all. He felt the need to run away, to get far away from the source of all his pain, but love and loyalty held him back. Maybe Alfred hated him now, but he was still madly in love with Alfred.

Some more days passed, and Ivan was slowly growing used to the pain in his heart. It still hurt and always managed to make him cringe every once in a while, but he dutifully fed himself and Alfred, not allowing himself to skip out on a single meal. He noticed how each time Alfred fed less and less. It wasn't healthy, but he was afraid of speaking to the other, afraid of the words that Alfred might utter. He wasn't sure what he'd do if he heard those words come from the blonde.

Ivan had just arrived back from his latest hunting trip. He stood outside the hotel door, deciding whether or not he should walk in at this moment. Deciding to swallow his fear and face his worries, he unlocked the door with his keycard and stepped inside. The first thing he noticed right off the bat was that the room was pitch dark. The television wasn't on, the curtains were drawn closed, and the lamps were turned off. He could still see in the dark, his vampirism giving him the ability to do so. However, it still bothered him that Alfred would resort to sitting in the dark like this. Taking a step forward, Ivan froze whenever he heard something come from the bathroom. He heard some shuffling in the small room and turned to face the door. Suddenly, light filtered out from underneath the closed door, and the shuffling noise stopped. Ivan stood, holding his breath and waiting for Alfred to come out. The door opened slowly, and what he was met with was not the face of his dearly beloved Fredka.

No, this was the face of someone who wanted to kill. Who wanted to maim everything in sight. Ivan knew this face too well.

"Fredka?" Ivan managed to whisper out, hoping that maybe his voice would snap Alfred out of his trance. The blonde's expression didn't lighten any. If anything, it became much darker, a fanged glare being pointed in his direction. Ivan took a hesitant step back. "A-Alfred?"

These last few days had been hell for Alfred. It seemed like everything was pissing him off or frustrating him. The more he tried to control his emotions while Ivan was around, the more he pushed the Russian away. He didn't want to snap at Ivan or if he was in a particularly bad mood, harm him. Oh, he knew that even with his uncontrolled raw strength, he was still no match for Ivan, but he could still do some mean damage to him. So Alfred would just drink the blood Ivan brought him and then turn away to try and sleep some more. He didn't need the sleep, but he liked having that little bit of normality and it also appeared to be the safest way to handle his mood swings.

Because of this, they stopped talking and Ivan stopped touching him. Alfred stopped cuddling into him in his sleep because Ivan went out hunting whenever he fell asleep. It hurt to wake up alone, bringing back uncomfortable memories and his abandonment issues. He tried to reason that it was better for Ivan that way, that the more he was out or the less he interacted with him while he was in this state, than the less likely he'd accidentally hurt Ivan. In his highly emotional state though, all this did was leave him feeling even more frustrated. Which Alfred had already been feeling frustrated with controlling his new strength. Just yesterday morning while Ivan was once again out, Alfred had been trying to go to the bathroom to shower. Instead, he ripped the door to the bathroom off its hinges. When Alfred got over the shock of that, he dropped the door and stumbled into the bathroom in slight horror. He tried gripping the sink counter behind him to steady himself, only for a chunk of the counter to come off in his grip. After initially freaking out, Alfred just decided to return to bed and curl in on himself. When Ivan returned, he'd been shocked and a bit frustrated himself, but he didn't blame Alfred. It had been an honest accident and he was still learning to control his strength , so he just went to the front desk and reported the damage, using his enthrallment powers to make it so the women at the front desk wouldn't question how the damage happened and just accepted the payment for the damages Ivan gave her before giving them a different room.

Another troublesome predicament that had arisen was the fact that Ivan wasn't kidding about vampires having a higher sex drive then humans. Ever since this morning, Alfred's been extremely horny. The lack of Ivan speaking to him and much less touching him wasn't helping either. Not mention he was hungry as hell since he'd been refusing meals lately, not wanting to think about where the blood came from. That added to his emotional instability.

This all leads us up to right now, Alfred pacing in the bathroom; angry, frustrated, lonely, horny and hungry. He felt out of control, his pupils contracted and a snarl on his lips. After what felt like hours, Alfred finally decided to move his pacing spot to the bedroom part of their hotel room. Opening the door, Alfred walked into the bedroom, completely lost in his own thought and not noticing his lover had returned from most likely hunting. That was until he heard a hesitant, "Fredka?" Sharp blue eyes snapped up to meet the object of at least two of his frustrations with a harsh glare. When he saw Ivan take a small step back at the look and called out his name again, Alfred let out feral growl before lunging at Ivan. Ivan didn't have any time to react to Alfred's lunge, his hands looking as if to be reaching out to claw at his throat. Ivan closed his eyes in preparation for the impact sure to come.

Instead of going at his throat though, Alfred's hands went past Ivan's neck all together and instead tangled roughly into his hair. Alfred pulled the older vampire down into a hard and forceful kiss full of teeth and tongue. He was pretty sure both of their lips got nicked a bit by their fangs. Alfred's tongue savagely explored every inch of Ivan's mouth before pulling away after a few moments of kissing. As Ivan gasped for breath, Alfred growled up at Ivan with demanding and wild blue eyes, "Fuck me, Vanya."

Ivan was only able to stare in shock, his mouth open in surprise and his eyes portraying a look of slight horror and confusion. He hesitantly shook his head, watching as Alfred 's face contorted into another fanged snarl. He could feel the blonde's fingers in his hair, yanking and pulling and scraping his nails against Ivan's scalp. The Russian vampire shuddered, the events happening all too quickly for him. And then suddenly, Alfred's weight was upon him and he was being pushed down onto the bed. The blonde vampire straddled his waist and leaned down to force an open mouthed, fanged, and wet kiss to Ivan's lips.

In his mind, Ivan could hear his conscious yelling at him, telling him to restrain Alfred and wait until he had calmed down. Alfred was clearly not in the right state of mind; hungry, sexually starved, and vying for attention. But Ivan's body didn't listen. His arms wrapped around Alfred of their own accord, his lips parting and drawing the other's tongue into his mouth. His senses reeled at the blood from their nicked lips mingling, a hungry moan escaping Ivan. He'd just fed, and yet Alfred was already making him thirsty again. But Alfred hadn't fed in a long while, and the hunger showed predominantly in his eyes. Ivan cupped Alfred's face and forced him away, staring up at the impatient and slightly rutting vampire with a perplexed and critical look. "We can't do this... You're not in the right state of mind. I can't…" Ivan shook his head, unable to force anymore words out.

A hiss was heard from above, and Ivan felt Alfred grind into his cock rather painfully. The American let his head fall back, a hungry moan escaping him. Ivan pursed his lips, trying to suppress one of his own. God…Alfred was just so feral, and rough, and raw…and god, if it wasn't turning Ivan on. It was different, but at the same time it felt good, relinquishing all the power to someone else.

Alfred continued the rough grinding, moaning throatily in pleasure. It felt so good to relieve his bent up sexual frustrations as well as his overall vexation. Still grinding against Ivan, keeping the rough yet delicious friction against their clothed cocks, Alfred leaned his head down once more and with one hand unwrapped Ivan's scarf. Once the precious garment was off, Alfred was pressing sloppy kisses against his neck, sucking harshly causing the vampire beneath him to moan lowly. He felt the arms wrapped around him move down to squeeze his ass roughly. Alfred let out another slightly rumbling groan against Ivan's neck. Alfred pulled his head back up to look into Ivan's slowly clouding with lust violet eyes with his own hungry and fierce icy blue ones. Pressing his bottom down into Ivan's large hands he moaned out a bit pleadingly despite the contradicting snarl on his lips, "Please." Alfred may not be completely in his right state of mind thanks to the mood swings, but he was still able to stop himself from completely forcing himself on Ivan. He had at least that much control over his actions.

Ivan heard the strain in Alfred's voice, the desperation that leaked into his tone. It made his heart clench tightly and the grinding onto his cock was making him hard. Resting his head back into the pillow, Ivan breathed out heavily for a bit, closing his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, he managed to breathe out. "Alright. Okay." Leaning up until he was sitting up on the bed with Alfred straddling his lap, Ivan brought him in for a much tamer kiss, tongue tracing the blonde's nicked lips and teasing Alfred's own tongue. He slid his hands down the American vampire's sides, his cool hands dipping underneath Alfred's shirt and then skimming back up along his ribs. Along the way, he pulled Alfred's shirt up before helping the blonde to pull it all the way off. Ivan ran his thumbs over Alfred's slightly perked nipples, rolling the small buds under his fingertips and working them into peaks. Alfred's breath caught in his throat, his breaths coming in small increments. Pushing Alfred back a bit so he was supporting himself with his arms on the bed, Ivan leaned forward and flicked his tongue over one of the peaks, sucking and teasing the sensitive nub. Alfred gasped under him, breathing sharp and shallow.

Alfred let out small and earthy keening sounds at the attention his sensitive nipple was receiving. Steadying himself on one arm, Alfred curled the other over Ivan's shoulder to rest on his back while his hand tangled roughly into his platinum tresses, giving small but sharp tugs as his elongated nails scratched pleasantly against Ivan's scalp. His legs where still half straddling Ivan's upper thighs, and he was still rutting against Ivan, their rock hard cocks just barely able to rub against each other through their pants and underwear. Alfred gasped as Ivan switched to teasing and sucking his other nipple, his cool tongue massaging the nub as he sucked and nipped gently at it. Shudders ran up and down Alfred's spine. One of Ivan's hands reach around to the small of his back, pressing Alfred in as he slightly rolled his hips in time with Alfred's small thrusts.

Somehow, Alfred was able to give his next word a commanding tone, even with the needy and throaty moan that accompanied it. "Nnnggghhh, m-more!" Alfred flicked up his now equally clouded blue eyes, to meet Ivan's. The slightly fierce and wild look in his eyes left no room for arguments.

Spurred on by Alfred's rough command, Ivan pushed the blonde onto his back and began to make quick work of his pants and underwear. Soon, Alfred was out in the nude, spreading his legs eagerly for Ivan, panting, eager, and lewd as ever. The Russian wasted no time in retrieving their bottle of lube from one of their bags beside the bed, squirting a bit of the liquid on his fingers and coating them efficiently. He slid his finger down to Alfred's hole, circling the ring of puckered muscle and dipping it in just slightly to tease the other. Ivan heard Alfred growl in warning, watching as the other's nail literally ripped through the bed sheets. He heard an impatient "now" spill from Alfred and decided that teasing probably wasn't such a good idea right at the moment.

Not making Alfred wait any longer, he quickly pushed in a single finger all the way to the knuckle, touching and massaging and prodding at Alfred's walls. A sharp gasp resonated across the room. Ivan could feel Alfred pressing himself down on his hand, trying to urge more in. God, he had never been this impatient before. Ivan, as a fledgling, had never had sexual cravings of this intensity before. Alfred must have really been suppressing it for quite a while. It just happened to catch up to him today.

Alfred let out another rumbling moan as Ivan moved his finger inside of him. Alfred himself even began pressing down on the finger, wanting to feel more. It wasn't enough for him. Despite not knowing if he was ready for another finger, he urged Ivan to add another with a growl of, "Another one." Ivan gave him a bit of an astonished look. His first finger had only been there for a few thrusts! This was only Alfred's second time, his body still needed to get used to penetration. When Alfred saw Ivan was about to argue with his demand, he growled and pressed himself down harder on Ivan finger, letting out a hissed groan as his finger roughly jabbed that one bundle of nerves. Blue eyes still shining in impatience and need, he once again ground out the command, "Now." Even as Ivan still looked hesitant, he couldn't hide the shiver of arousal and the twitch his cock gave at Alfred taking the lead in this and being so demanding.

Ivan started pressing the second finger in passed Alfred's ring of tight muscles. Alfred let out another hiss in both pain and pleasure as the other blonde's thicker fingers stretched the slightly resisting muscles inside him. God, did he want this. He'd been wanting this. They hadn't done anything like this since their first time together, only chaste kisses and holding each other. Not that Alfred didn't enjoy that, but once he tasted Ivan, he wanted more. Especially since his new vampire libido appeared, but he held those feelings at bay, not finding an opportune time to become more intimate once again with Ivan. It'd been easy to bite back his desire up until his mood swings brought them back in full throttle. And it may just be the mood swings talking, but Alfred would be damned if he didn't ride Ivan good and hard by the time this was over.

Ivan was perplexed, anxious, and above all, turned on by Alfred's erratic behavior. He could feel the blonde pressing himself down on his fingers, urging them in deeper. He did nothing to try and hide his moans like he usually did. They were loud and open and raw and good lord, it was really doing the job for Ivan. His cock was achingly hard now, his eyes hungry and his tongue tracing his lips as he watched Alfred literally fuck himself on his fingers. Ivan inserted a third finger, hearing Alfred hiss momentarily before letting a sharp "Fuck!" slip from his lips. Alfred rarely ever used foul language, only resorting to using it whenever he was really pissed off. Ivan rang his tongue over his fangs, beginning to grow rather impatient himself. He curled his fingers a bit, watching as Alfred arched and growled out another obscenity.

Suddenly, he pulled his fingers from Alfred, earning a whine of protest, followed closely by a hiss. Ivan made quick work of his own clothing, starting with his scarf and finally ending with his boxers. He was just about to crawl between Alfred's legs whenever all of a sudden, Alfred placed both his hands against his chest and roughly slammed him down onto his back. The motion knocked some of the air from Ivan's lungs and made the bed creak ominously underneath them. Slightly stunned, Ivan looked up to see Alfred positioning himself over Ivan's throbbing cock. "A-Alfred?" He asked hesitantly. He'd been doing that a lot lately. The blonde sent him a glare, a mixture between sexual frustration and frustration in general. Ivan merely blinked back with wide, violet eyes at the intense expression.

Alfred just started to lower himself on to the Russians thick and throbbing cock. Feeling his own twitch as he momentarily broke his intense gaze on Ivan, he threw his head back and growled out a loud moan as he felt the deliciously, painful burning sensation of his barely prepped hole stretching over Ivan's member. God, nothing should hurt so good. As he slowly seated himself on Ivan, the older vampire letting out choked moans, Alfred hung his head and hunched over his lover. Alfred growled out pleasantly with wild, flashing blue eyes peaking down at him from behind disheveled and sweaty bangs, a savage smirk on his lips that was made more animalistic by his protruding fangs. "I'm going to fuck myself on you so hard Vanya." And with that Alfred began moving.

To say that this was love-making would be a lie. No, this was a pure, raw, hard fuck. And though it may not have contained the intimacy that they usually always shared with each other, Ivan couldn't deny the intense pleasure that was coursing through him as Alfred rode him hard and wildly. The blonde was slamming himself down on Ivan's cock so hard that the Russian could feel his upper thighs going numb from the impact. And Alfred, oh dear lord, Alfred…his face was morphed into an expression of uncontained lust, his mouth open, his fangs peeking out, and his icy blue eyes never leaving Ivan's face. Ivan tossed his head back into the pillow, moaning loudly. "Oh god, Alfred…oh god, oh god." They had only begun, and Ivan could already count this as one of his top five favorite fucks in his life. He grabbed the blonde's hips and began thrusting up into Alfred, almost bucking him off with the force of said thrusts. Loud cries of pained-mixed pleasure rang throughout the room, making Ivan's ears almost ring. "Ahnnn, yesss Alfred…so good…don't stop darling. Please…"

Alfred's eye's narrowed into slits at the pleasure that barely beat out the pain he felt coursing through him at every powerful thrust he met with Ivan. Every single thrust, though rough and hard, was angled to slam against Alfred's prostate, almost causing Alfred to see stars with each one. The hot coil of pleasure built up in his lower abdomen, almost ready to send him over the edge. As the pressure grew with every thrust and every pleasured grunt, moan, hiss, and growl they shared, Alfred dug his nails into the shoulders he was gripping, bloody crescents forming on Ivan's ivory skin. Alfred heard a hiss of pain mix in with a moan of pleasure before a sharp, stinging slap was delivered to his bare bottom in retaliation. This caused Alfred to practically howl a cry of pleasure before growling as he angled his head, lowering his mouth to Ivan's scarred and hickey covered neck from Alfred's previous teasing. Baring his fangs, Alfred smoothly sank his them into Ivan's jugular, making sure his other teeth also bit into the skin to leave an indention that would probably leave a very colorful love bite later. Alfred may be bottoming, but he'd be the dominate one tonight, and wouldn't tolerate retaliation even if he enjoyed the stinging and burning feeling when Ivan smacked his bottom. Besides, Alfred's thirst had been getting to him and now seemed as good of time as any to feed off the Russian. Alfred moaned a tamer moan as Ivan's sweet blood ran down his throat and settled nicely in his stomach. Alfred was no longer slamming himself down to meet Ivan thrusts, he was too engaged in satisfying his hunger to both feed and move. Luckily though, because of his bite Ivan arched up in both pain and pleasure as Alfred fed off him and continued his heavy thrusts. It wasn't long until Alfred felt the coil in him snap abruptly, making him release Ivan's neck and bow his back as he came hard between them, lips parted in a silent cry and his walls closing tightly in vice like grip around Ivan's number.

"O…O-Ohhhhh…Fredka…" Ivan whispered in a moan, feeling Alfred clench around him in such a nice way. He felt blood running down from the bite on his neck and hot, wet, and sticky cum covering his stomach. Despite the fact that Alfred was spent, he continued pressing himself down onto Ivan's cock, helping the Russian to reach his own release as well. Though not nearly as explosive or intense as Alfred's, Ivan climaxed and arched off the bed a bit, a loud moan spilling from his lips and trailing off into a series of pants. He relaxed back into the pillows, his body feeling warm, sated, and numb from their rough fucking. The platinum haired vampire stared up at the hotel room ceiling, his violet eyes hazy and clouded, a strange, contented smile of sorts plastered on his face. His arms were spread on either side of him, his chest heaving a small bit. Ivan closed his eyes, almost forgetting the fact that Alfred was still on top of him. It was only until he felt himself get yanked into a bloody kiss that he wrapped his arms around the other, acknowledging the fact that Alfred was still there. Ivan could taste his blood on Alfred's tongue, sucking on it lightly before switching to the blonde's lower lip. He trailed wet kisses along Alfred's jawline, trailing down to his neck before letting his lips part in a fanged snarl. Ivan sank his fangs into Alfred abruptly, stealing back a small bit of the blood that the blonde had taken from him, but nothing more than that. Alfred hadn't fed properly in a long while and Ivan had to take heed not to drain him too much. The blonde's blood was sweet and savory on his tongue, driving his senses wild like it usually always. Ivan ran his hands down Alfred's back, stopping only to caress the spot on his bottom that he had smacked earlier.

Alfred shivered at the caress on the still red and warm hand print on his cheeks, a low and sated sounding moan humming through his throat as Ivan stole a bit of his blood back. After a few seconds of gentle sucking, the American felt Ivan's fangs retract and his smooth tongue lap up any excess blood dripping down his neck. Letting out a soft hum at the feel, Alfred begin to feel a lot more docile after his sexual cravings and hunger were met and his previous frustrations were released with their rough bout of sex. He came off of Ivan with a wet pop and tilted his head to lap up the drying blood on Ivan's own neck. Once he was done, he crawled off the Russian and laid down next Ivan, curling up against his side. He felt Ivan shift as well to face Alfred and wrap an arm loosely and comfortably around his waist, pulling the sated and exhausted American to his chest.

They laid in silence together, just enjoying the afterglow and how nice it was to be in each other's arms again. Alfred uncurled his arms to warp around Ivan's middle tightly as he buried his face in the Russian's shoulder, feeling his own sticky and drying cum as their torsos pressed against each other. "That felt good, but I'm sorry if I hurt you." Alfred mumbled. He felt a bit guilty about suddenly forcing rough sex onto Ivan like that when he was so out of control, he could have seriously hurt him. "I'm also sorry for these past few days in general. Thanks for putting up with me..." He'd been in too foul of a mood to properly apologize for his actions and mood, much less thank Ivan for being so understanding. There was a couple times Alfred seriously worried Ivan might leave, not wanting to deal with this mood swing crap anymore, though that only ended up fueling his frustration and made his mood even worse.

Kissing the crown of Alfred's head, Ivan murmured back softly. "You don't have to thank me. I understand how you feel. I felt the same way at one point, too." Probably not as wild as Alfred had been just then, but somewhere close to it. "But da, that did feel good, didn't it?" He laughed quietly into Alfred's golden hair, the sound a little muffled. "My, you really surprised me there. I didn't think you could be so rough during sex. I honestly wouldn't mind seeing that side of you more, not counting the awful mood swings of course." This would be about the time where he'd feel Alfred's face heat up against his chest, but those times were nonexistent now. However, he could still sense the blonde's embarrassment at his words.

Alfred gave Ivan a quick squeeze around the middle in embarrassment, but as he peeked up at Ivan, his blue eyes calmed once more and his pupils dilated a normal size for the dark room. He had an impish smile tugging at his lips. He practically hummed, "That can be arranged~ Though probably not for a while, considering I think I'll be limping around for bit." In hindsight and when Alfred has more control of himself, next time they should definitely spend a little more time on preparation. Alfred could already feel a dull (for now) ache begin to form in his lower back and ass. Yep, he'd have one mean limp tomorrow. Alfred smiled and snorted in dry humor, "We might wanna get on the earliest plane we can find going to South Dakota tomorrow, 'cause between the last room I wrecked and this room I don't think they'll ever want us coming back." The bed sheets were almost completely shredded and the front desk was probably getting a lot of noise complaints from their floor and the rooms above and below them. Alfred could almost feel the blush on his face as he thought about how loud they were, despite the fact he knew they would probably never come back to this place.

"Mmm, yes." Ivan hummed in agreement. Tomorrow they would leave for their new home, and maybe they could put all the past weeks and months of stress behind them and start anew. Although Ivan didn't normally let himself sleep, unlike Alfred, he felt the need to pass time quickly, so for the first time in a long while, he allowed himself to fall asleep. He could handle going one night without staying awake and petting Alfred.

Alfred had snuggled his face back into Ivan's shoulder, just reflecting on their time together and what their future had in store for them. He had almost fallen asleep when he felt Ivan's breathing slow more than usual. It was still, even but some felt slower still. Peeking back up at the Russian with curiosity shining in his eyes, Alfred felt his blue hues widen in surprise for a moment. Ivan appeared to be sleeping, his face the most relaxed he's ever seen it. He didn't know rather he looked beautiful or like an innocent child. With a warm but sleepy smile, Alfred craned his neck to lightly rub their noses together in an Eskimo kiss. Alfred breathed a soft, "Night Vanya, I love you." Before placing a soft kiss to his lips and returned to snuggling into the Russian as if he were a giant teddy bear, soon having his breathing match the same slow and even rhythms as Ivan's. And that's how they slept, wrapped up and tangled together in each other's arms, both the most content they've been in a while.


	16. Always and Forever

Alfred felt his eyes blink open slowly. It's been five or six years since Alfred was first turned. Alfred was still considered a fledgling, but an older one. He didn't have mood swings anymore, and the only time he goes feral now is if he's put in a highly stressful environment. Otherwise, Alfred was completely harmless and has actually mastered his unusual strength for even a vampire. Alfred's improved in many aspects in becoming a full-fledged vampire. He can use a bit of enthrallment, mainly just influencing peoples decisions instead of all out controlling them like Ivan can, he can also blur their memory enough to where they may feel deja vu if they see him again. But they wouldn't suspect his true nature. Alfred even hunts now, though unlike Ivan who drains his victims, Alfred just drinks until they pass out, or at least he tries to stop at that point. Most of the time he's successful, but there have been incidences where Alfred couldn't quite control himself. He'd feel guilty of course and even mourn their death for a few days, but soon he'd let it go because he'd have to if he himself ever wanted to be happy.

Ivan has been wonderful and supportive throughout the roughest years. The first two years of a fledgling's development were where all their new abilities spring and they can barely control them, as well as the god awful mood swings they experience. After Alfred's first terrible one, they had come to the conclusion that leaving Alfred to deal with them himself had done more harm than good for the both of them. So whenever Alfred had one from then on, Ivan would coddle him and let him rant and get snippy with him. Ivan knew he didn't mean any of it and was just miserable with trying to control the more violent urges that came with moods. However when Alfred DID become violent, he'd usually pin him down and sit on him, sometimes even reading a book until Alfred's struggles would subside and his mood stabilized once more. In hindsight it was probably a rather comical sight, watching an enraged, dangerous, and struggling Alfred being sat on so calmly while the Russian read some Russian book to pass the time. Another thing that's changed was that though Alfred still slept, he slept more sporadically throughout the day and usually only at most for four hour increments and a minimum of two hours. Alfred and Ivan have gone up to different parts of France and England to visit Arthur and Francis (upon Alfred's request, and honestly even if Arthur and Ivan where at odds with each other, Ivan would never keep Alfred from his friends and almost makeshift family). Alfred and Ivan actually still lived in South Dakota and in the same house, only Ivan said they would have to move within the next year, seeing as they've been here long enough already. They'd agreed that they would live in Russia next, Alfred saying because he wanted to see where Ivan spent most of his vampire life at.

This brings us back to right now though, with Alfred waking up sometime around five PM, if he had to guess by the light streaming in slightly from the windows. He'd just woken up from a nice three hour nap, with a verynice dream that went with his nap too, one that has given him a bit of morning wood. As Alfred slowly woke up, he blinked groggy blue eyes up to see he was currently snuggled next to a stark naked Ivan whom was sitting up against their bed's head board, nose buried in a book and one hand combing through Alfred's blonde locks in a repetitive motion. Alfred himself was equally naked, except for the amethyst heart necklace Ivan gave him so many years back. The American's arms were wrapped around the older vampire's wide hips, nose having been previously nuzzled into said hips in his sleep. Well, this would all certainly explain the dull and very familiar ache in the small of his back...and as Alfred's sleep scattered mind caught up to him, he indeed remembered his lover pounding him into the bed only three hours ago.

Violet eyes flickered to meet his icy blue ones, having noticed the other had awakened. Giving a sleepy smile, and still with some morning wood, Alfred pulled himself up to press up against Ivan's side, his head resting on Ivan's broad shoulder after placing a soft kiss on the Russian's neck and mumbling. "Mornin'." Screw the fact it was actually early evening now.

"Good 'morning', Alfred." Ivan greeted back happily. He continued stroking his hand through Alfred's hair, his pale fingers combing through soft, golden locks. "I'm assuming you slept well?" Ivan asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking as he felt Alfred's half hard cock brush against his leg. They'd only been at it three hours ago, and yet it seemed like Alfred was ready to go at it again. It's not like they hadn't had sex more than twice in one day. They've done it plenty of times in a twenty-four hour period, given their inhuman stamina and quick recovery time. Especially during Alfred's earlier years as a fledgling. The blonde's sex drive had been out of control, and he was almost constantly demanding sex from Ivan.

Alfred just hummed out an affirmative, "Mmmhhhmmm~" He craned his neck once again to place another soft kiss to Ivan's neck, only this time giving it a small lick as well. Alfred smiled in satisfaction when Ivan sucked in a breath and shivered a bit. "I was hoping we could try out something we did in my dream~" Alfred purred as he placed soft kisses up and down Ivan's sensitive neck until he was nibbling Ivan's ear lobe. Finding his current position a bit awkward for his persuasion techniques, Alfred lazily pivoted his body after releasing Ivan's ear and adjusted himself so he was now sitting on the Russian's lap and facing him. Wrapping two pale arms around Ivan neck, he went back to littering Ivan's neck with feathery kisses and teasing swipes of his tongue.

Book all but forgotten, Ivan placed it down on their bedside table and opted to wrap his arms around Alfred instead. He moaned lightly at the kisses and nips being scattered across his sensitive neck. Alfred always knew how to turn Ivan into a pile of mush whenever it came to his scarred and marred neck. Pulling the blonde closer, Ivan could now feel Alfred's cock rubbing up against his stomach, spreading wet precum along his skin. Grabbing the blonde's chin, the Russian vampire forced Alfred to look at him before catching him in a passionate kiss, tongue delving into the other's mouth to taste and tease Alfred's own tongue. Ivan felt and heard Alfred moan against his lips, rutting slightly against him and causing his cock to continually brush against his stomach. Reaching down between them, Ivan took it into his hand and gave it a couple slow pumps. "Hmm, and what exactly happened in your dream?" Ivan asked as he pulled away slightly, murmuring the words against Alfred's lips.

Alfred let out a shuddering moan as Ivan slowly pumped his swelling cock. Licking his lips, he gently batted Ivan's hand away. Ivan stared at him in confusion. Alfred hardly ever rejected Ivan touching his member. It was actually more often than not that Alfred would beg Ivan to jerk him off when he was being pounded into by the Russian, his lover being a bit of a fan of orgasm denial.

Alfred wanted his suggestion to be taken seriously though, and so he batted Ivan's distracting hand on his cock away before cupping his pale and handsome face in his hands. Leaning forward he placed a soft kiss to his lips, completely chaste, then rubbed their noses together in an affectionate manner before resting their foreheads together gently. Looking into Ivan's curious plum colored eyes, Alfred said in a soft but determined voice, "Well, we were having some really nice soft and slow sex. Makin' love real sweet and comfortable-" Alfred noticed Ivan about to say something, probably along the lines of 'they could do that'. Pressing a finger to the Russian's lips before he could even get out the first syllable, Alfred finished. "And I was topping." Ivan tensed a bit under him. The last time Alfred had tried topping was when Alfred had been a fledgling for three, almost four years. Alfred had thought he had his strength under control. Everything had actually been going great. Ivan was enjoying himself and so was Alfred, up until Alfred was in the middle of thrusting into him. Alfred had been so close to orgasm with Ivan not far behind him, he'd gotten a little into the feeling of the building pleasure and tension in him that he wasn't watching his strength, and nearly broke Ivan's hips in his tightening grip on them. Luckily, Ivan was able to yell and get Alfred to snap out of it before he did seriously injure the Russian. Let's just say that killed the mood quickly. Since then, it was an unspoken rule that Ivan would top until Alfred was sure he had his strength control down packed.

Alfred kissed Ivan's temple and stroked Ivan's cheek with his thumb since he was still cupping the Russian's face. He once again spoke softly, "I-I want to try again Ivan. I want to make you feel as good as you make me feel. We can start off slowly and gentle and we can keep it that way unless you tell me otherwise." He wouldn't have suggested trying again if he thought there was a chance he'd lose control again. Ivan saw how torn up he'd been about it the first time. He just hoped Ivan trusted him. Bringing his face back to meet Ivan's eyes, the tips of their noses barely touching, Alfred asked and smiled nervously at him, "What'dya say Vanya?"

In all honesty, Ivan would be lying if he said that he wasn't a little nervous over the suggestion. The bruises that had been left on his hips had taken days to heal. And that was saying something, considering that vampires had a healing rate that far surpassed humans. What he had experienced though from the beginning of it had felt amazing. Ivan was unused to the aspect of being penetrated, and that had all but made the experience a little more breathtaking than it already was. To be pleasured from the inside was amazing, and quite frankly, the fact that he wasn't able to complete the entire experience was starting to gnaw away at him now. He wanted to feel Alfred inside him, to be full and filled to the brim and pleasured in a way much deeper than what he was usually used to. So with a hesitant nod, Ivan agreed. "A-Alright. But you better not break me this time, Alfred. I can always put myself back together, but broken bones are never pleasant." A glowing smile spread across Alfred's face and Ivan found himself being pulled into a slightly excited kiss. It took him by surprise, but it was nice to see the other happy about finally getting his turn again.

Alfred smiled into the enthusiastic kiss, his tongue pressing inside Ivan's mouth to sweep across the entirety of his moist cavern. Alfred felt Ivan moan lightly into the kiss, entangling his tongue with Alfred's intruding one. After a few seconds of light tongue wrestling, Alfred eventually coaxed Ivan's tongue into his mouth, where he suckled on the Russian's tongue. Alfred reached up his hand that had been around his lover's scarred neck to tangle into his platinum hair, scratching his scalp lightly and feeling Ivan's thick and soft locks.

Pulling away, Alfred trailed light kisses up the side of his jaw and to his ear. Nibbling on the shell of Ivan's ear, enjoying pleased hum Ivan gave, Alfred whispered. "I wouldn't attempt this if I wasn't confident that I wouldn't hurt you. Trust me Ivan, you're going to feel good~" With that Alfred blow cool air teasingly on the Russian's now slightly damp outer ear.

A warm, pleasant shiver ran down Ivan's back at Alfred's words and voice. It went straight to his hardening cock, making it throb nicely. Mind already starting to wander ahead, Ivan could only close his eyes and whisper back, "Fredka…yes. I want it~" Lukewarm hands settled on the Russian's thighs, and he could feel Alfred pulling him forward and pressing him down. The blonde's hands stayed on his thighs, pushing them apart at an agonizing slow pace and only adding to the current pressure he felt on his cock at the moment. Ivan's legs were pulled up so they were bent at the knees, spread wide and allowing Alfred to see everything. And though they had seen almost every bit of each other's bodies throughout the years, the vulnerable position Ivan was in was something he wasn't used to and it didn't fail to show on his slightly flustered face.

Alfred smiled encouragingly at the Russian's flustered face, though it had a devious curl at the corners as he admired his lover under him. Damn, if Ivan was sexy on top then he was just plain breathtaking on bottom. Alfred licked his lips hungrily (a habit Ivan pointed out years ago that Alfred denied) at the hardening length in front of him. He'd have to hold off though on sucking it. He'd wait to do THAT when he's preparing the Russian. When Ivan's bent legs were on either side of him, Alfred settled between them on his knees and leaned over to place another passionate kiss on Ivan's lips. Alfred slowly ran his hands down the Russian's chest, admiring Ivan's hard muscles that where usually hidden behind layers of clothes. Alfred played with his chest hairs a bit before splaying his hands over Ivan's soft, yet hard stomach. Alfred really loved Ivan's muscular and husky build. His muscles where firm enough for Alfred to feel the controlled but powerful strength they held, a feeling that caused Alfred to shiver slightly. Yet, his little bit of huskiness made him soft enough in places for Alfred to almost feel like he can mold Ivan's body with his hands. As Alfred's hands finally settled on Ivan's hips, Alfred gave them a soft squeeze as he continued slowly ravaging Ivan's mouth with his tongue. Whether Ivan admitted it or not, he had a bit of love handles on his hip, though in Alfred's book that was a good a thing. Alfred loved how big Ivan was, he liked being wrapped up in the Russian whenever he held him, it was a very comforting feeling and made him want to melt inside the Russian's arms.

Alfred began rolling his hips into Ivan, letting their hardened and flushed cocks rub against each other in a tantalizing way. Alfred enjoyed the low moans it brought from Ivan as he himself moaned with the Russian as he released Ivan's swelling lips. Skimming Ivan's jaw with his lips Alfred lowered his head to once again plant harder, but still gentle opened mouth kisses on Ivan's neck, nipping on the skin and tracing his tongue over scars. Alfred mumbled against his skin, "Mmmm, Vanya you're so gorgeous~"

Eyes half lidded and lips parted in barely audible moans, all Ivan could do was nod. Personally, he disliked his own body, being strangely self-conscious about his appearance. No matter what kind of strenuous activity he did as a vampire, he just couldn't see to get rid of some of the "extra skin" that was on him. Looking down at their cocks rubbing against each other, Ivan had the growing urge to take them both in his hand and start stroking. But he refrained, wanting to relinquish control to Alfred. Because no matter how often he topped during sex between the two, Ivan had to admit that the aspect of being dominated had always appealed to a small side in him. A very small, hidden away side that only Alfred could bring out. At the combined attention on his cock and neck, Ivan pressed his head back against the pillow, his moans growing a small bit louder, but still containing the soft edge of his voice. "A…Ahnnnn….Alfred…" Ivan wrapped a single arm around Alfred's back, let his hands slide up the blonde's spine and into his hair. Ivan gripped it gently, running his fingers through the sunshine locks.

Alfred sped up the way his hips rolled against Ivan's, enjoying the raw skin on skin friction their weeping cocks were giving. Alfred raised his head from ravishing Ivan's neck with small bites, soft kisses and teasing licks. Half-mast Ice blue eyes peered down at Ivan as his breath sped up a bit at the faster grinding, Alfred commented with a seductive and confident smirk. "I can tell you don't believe me Ivan." He leaned in close, breathing hot air on the Russian's ear as he as he purred sensually. "Do you want me tell you why I love your body and looks~?"

Ivan felt goosebumps rise on his skin –his skin of all skin, which was naturally cold – at Alfred's hot breath and silky tone. The jabs of pleasure the friction on his cock was producing was wonderful. Ivan curled his toes in slightly, feeling as though his nerve endings were on fire. At Alfred's comment, as much as he wanted to say no on impulse, he found himself nodding slowly. Anything to hear Alfred speak to him like that. God, his voice really was amazing.

Alfred's smirk only grew as one of the hands that were planted on Ivan's hips danced its way across Ivan's smooth and ivory skin. His fingertips lightly brushed their way over Ivan's sides and chest, ghosting over his shoulders and neck and trailing up the side of his head until his fingers smoothed through Ivan's hair. Nuzzling the Russian's temple and breathing in his scent, Alfred continued to speak in an unusually soft, but sultry voice. "I love how soft and thick your hair is, how it feels between my fingers." He gave soft tug on it for emphasis, feeling the shiver that ran through Ivan's body. "How it almost seems to shine silver in the moonlight and plasters to your face perfectly when you're sweaty from me riding you~ I also love how when I bury my nose into your hair I'm overwhelmed by your scent." A scent that smelt slightly cool and sweet like all vampires, but combined with the smell of wheat, earth and forest, with a pinch of freshness like newly fallen snow and warm cinnamon. Alfred placed a soft kiss on Ivan's hairline as his hand trailed down to cup his cheek. Alfred gave Ivan a half lidded and warm stare with his light blue eyes. "I love your beautiful violet eyes Ivan, how alluring they are even without your magic." Not to mention how absolutely smoldering they could be when darkened over with lust or want, turning Alfred into a pile of needy mush. Placing another kiss on the corner of Ivan's left eye, he skimmed his lips to Ivan's nose and gave it a playful lick and nip. "I love your strong Russian nose. Somehow it's both sexy as hell and cute as can be~" He purred once more before he rubbed his own against the older vampire's again. He took Ivan upper lip in his mouth and gently lapped at it with his tongue, suckling it a bit. When he released it from in between his own lips he mumbled, "Your lips are so firm and smooth, both yielding and controlling when we kiss." His hand trailed down a bit more hesitantly to his neck, his thumb rubbing soothingly along many of the criss-crossing scars that littered his neck. Eyes a bit sadder, he whispered, "Your scars are so tragically beautiful Vanya. You have no idea..." Lowering his head he licked up the side of his neck, causing Ivan to moan softly, but with more need this time. Alfred's look once more lightened as he smirked mischievously up at the Russian, fangs poking out from his lips almost playfully. "I do enjoy the sounds you make when I tease your neck Ivan. Even when you're on top, you give the cutest moans and gasps~" Alfred then gave the Russian's neck one final kiss (for now), but this time a bit more sloppily, with a harder bite and some suction, making sure he'd leave a nice hickey on the platinum blondes neck. "Shall I continue~?" Alfred teased sending a heated look up at Ivan, this time never breaking the grinding in their hips. Alfred was pretty sure if they could, Ivan would be a flushed mess right now.

Panting lightly and feeling as if his cheeks should be on fire right now if he were human, Ivan could only nod once again, managing to whisper out, "Yes please…" Alfred was being so sweet and gentle and loving and alluring, and Jesus…Ivan was really getting off on it. His heart wasn't the only thing swelling from all the nice attention being paid to his body.

Alfred smiled at Ivan, looking very pleased and more than a bit smug that he was having this effect on the Russian. He started kissing and biting across Ivan's left shoulder, leaving faint love bites all over his chest. Ivan gasped and arched a bit as Alfred traced his tongue over his dusky nipple. Taking it into his mouth, he worked the nub into a hard peak, using his tongue to swirl around it and suck softly. His other hand took Ivan's other nipple and began rubbing it between his thumb and forefingers, tweaking it every so often. These actions ripped a louder moan from the Russian, soft gasps at the teasing sensations on his sensitive nubs combined with heated friction between their rubbing cocks as they spread pre-cum over their stomachs were proving to be too much to for Ivan to control his pleasured sounds. Alfred felt desire travel south at the noises he was making Ivan produce. They were softer moans then his own were, but Ivan's were erotic in their own soft way. Trailing sloppy kisses down the Russian's torso to his stomach, Alfred moaned out himself, "Nmmm~ I love your broad shoulders Ivan. They're so comfortable to lay my head on and I love leaving bites on them. I love how behind some of your soft huskiness, your muscles are so firm and hard. I love scratching all up and down your back, marking you like you love marking me. I love your slightly soft and smooth stomach," He pauses over his naval to give it an open mouth kiss, slightly delving his tongue into his belly button. He heard Ivan give a muffled whining noise in the back of his throat at the odd, but pleasant sensation. Alfred then moved his head to one side of Ivan's hips, once again placing an open mouthed kiss, letting his fangs sink in a bit as he bit Ivan and sucked. Coming off and leaving a slightly bloody bite mark, Alfred's smooth tongue lapped up the blood there. "I love your wide hips Ivan, how they have just enough skin on them, but not too much." Having stopped grinding their cocks together as he moved father down, Alfred soon found himself face to face with the Russian's massive girth, once again licking his lips in slight anticipation. He gave it a teasing lick from the base to the tip. Ivan moaned wantonly as Alfred's moist and flat tongue teased him with the slow lick. Grabbing one of Ivan's upper thighs he reached over to the night stand on Ivan's side of the bead, reaching for the conveniently placed lube they kept on it. Alfred popped the cap off and gave Ivan a lofty smirk, his blue eyes sending Ivan a smoldering look. "Ready Vanya?" He murmured as he settled back in between the Russian's thick legs, coating his fingers in a generous amount of lube and rubbing it between his fingers to warm it. His mouth was hovering over Ivan's cock, warm waves of his breath washing over Ivan's sensitive tip as he poised his index finger over Ivan's puckered entrance.

"Hnnn, yes. Yes, please hurry Alfred. I need you…" Ivan gasped out, his entire being on fire with desire and lust and small sparks of pleasure produced by Alfred's hands and mouth. Ivan propped himself up on his elbows so he could gaze down at the other and watch him. He could feel Alfred's finger teasingly circling his entrance, pressing just slightly into him before pulling back out and repeating the notion. Ivan whined slightly, wishing the other would just fill him up already. Pressing his hips down, the Russian panted out in a soft voice, "Ohh, don't tease me~ I want you in me right now."

Alfred smiled up at Ivan slyly, blue eyes shining in amusement. He purred, "But Ivan, you tease me all the time." Alfred heard Ivan give a protesting grunt when he only teasingly rubbed his index finger around Ivan's tight ring of muscle. Alfred chuckled in amusement and gave into Ivan's demand, slipping in his finger smoothly as he simultaneously took in the head of the Russian's member. He slowly pushed his finger into Ivan's tight heat, enjoying the twitching of Ivan's inside muscles and imagining it around his own painfully hard cock. One of Ivan's legs draped over one of Alfred's shoulders, him having used his free hand to lift it onto his shoulder so he could slowly take in Ivan's cock easier. He hoped the slight sucking on Ivan's cock would override the discomfort of Alfred's probing finger. Alfred wiggled his finger around as he rubbed against Ivan's walls, stretching the Russian as he looked around for that one special nerve that always got Alfred seeing stars when Ivan would find his.

Ivan hissed a bit as Alfred sank his finger in, clearly not used to having anything in him. But as soon as Alfred's mouth closed over the tip of his leaking cock, any discomfort from Alfred's probing finger was overridden by pleasure. He could feel the blonde swirling his tongue around the tip, giving slow, languid licks to the head. "O-Ohhh…ohh…Fredka." Ivan smiled a bit as the other teased his painfully hard member, still propped up on his elbows and watching the other finger him and simultaneously suck him off. It didn't take long for Ivan to feel that tell-tale jolt of pleasure run up his spine as something sensitive was rubbed against inside him. An abrupt moan spilled from his lips and he pressed down on Alfred's finger, trying to get him to nudge that spot again. "There. Right there. Oh yes, please…" Ivan relaxed into the bed, coming off his elbows and collapsing into the pillow. He stared up at the ceiling with lips parted in both a smile and small pant as Alfred teased his sweet spot and cock at the same time. Threading his fingers into Alfred's hair, Ivan urged him on. "Mmm, more. I want more."

Alfred made a soft noise that sounded suspiciously like an "Ah-ha!" of triumph for having found Ivan's prostate, the sound muffled by the cock in his mouth. Alfred heard another appreciative moan from Ivan at the vibrations that his voice was causing around the Russian's thick cock. Peering up at Ivan the best he could from his position, Alfred started slipping in another finger next to the one already buried inside Ivan. Alfred watched as Ivan's slightly parted lips began to grimace at the uncomfortable almost burning sensation as Alfred worked in the second finger. In response, Alfred began to slowly drag his tongue over the underside of Ivan's cock as he pulled off. Ivan let out yet another moan, almost not noticing when the American's second finger was buried to the knuckle with the first. Alfred started planting kisses up and down Ivan's member, teasing the tip and tracing veins with his tongue while slowly thrusting his two fingers in and out. He would curl the tips of his fingers to press and rub against Ivan's sweet spot, eventually scissoring and twisting his digits as he sped up his thrusting. All the while he was enjoying the soft moans and sharp gasps Ivan would give in between pants, almost making his patience run out as his own leaking member ached to bury itself in Ivan's heat. How did Ivan have the patience to tease Alfred so mercilessly at times, when Alfred was having a difficult time trying to control the urge to throw all caution to the wind and just pound into the Russian?

Violet eyes fluttering shut, Ivan whimpered and moaned softly at the pleasure Alfred's fingers and mouth were bringing him. With every rub against his sweet spot and every languid lick Alfred applied to his cock, he felt little jolts of pleasure traveling down his spine and settling into his toes. He feared that if Alfred continued for much longer, he'd orgasm before even getting the chance to be filled. So with urgency in his voice, Ivan managed to pant out, "Please hurry Alfred. I'm getting close...I want to cum by your cock, not your fingers."

Alfred shivered at those words, feeling his cock twitch and moaning himself. Alfred's member was smaller than Ivan's. It wasn't extremely large or long, but he was still well above average and it would probably be safe for Ivan if he use used three fingers. Pulling off Ivan's cock, Alfred told Ivan just as much, "Mmm~ J-Just a moment babe. I still need to do the third finger. Think you can hold on that long?" He asked glancing up to meet cloudy violet eyes as he pressed said third finger to the Russian's entrance.

Feeling an extra finger prod at his hole, Ivan whimpered out weakly. "Yesss, but please hurry. I want more~" Although it felt slightly uncomfortable having yet another finger slide into him, Ivan couldn't deny the full feeling he was starting to feel. He knew he would only feel fuller whenever Alfred was inside him and that thought made him shiver. He wanted to feel every inch of the blonde sliding into him slowly, stretching him out, rubbing against his walls, and touching that special spot. He wanted to feel Alfred sliding in and out of him, feel himself being hiked up into the sheets with each forward thrust and brought back down whenever Alfred receded. Ivan let out a low moan at his thoughts, feeling his cock ache almost painfully.

It wasn't long before Alfred had the third finger nestled with the first two, sliding in and out of Ivan with more ease with every thrust. Alfred watched Ivan's eyes narrow in pleasure as he pressed against Ivan's prostate, mouth slightly open while he panted at the growing pleasure tingling in his large body. Alfred felt heat travel once more down south at Ivan's pleasure filled expression. Unable to hold himself back any longer, Alfred slipped his fingers out. Feeling a surge of smug pride as Ivan made small whining noise at the action and sending his lover a grin, he purred lowly, "Ready?" Already grabbing at the bottle of lube he dropped beside him with his free hand, Alfred popped off the cap. "Ready?" Alfred asked again teasingly as he removed the hand previously holding up Ivan's leg, that had been draped over Alfred's shoulder to squirt some of the lubricant into his hand, coating his painfully hard cock with it.

"Oh god, yes. Please. I want you in me, Alfred. I want to feel you slowly fuck me." Ivan replied hungrily, running his tongue over his fangs. His body was literally aching for Alfred's cock and he was sure how much longer he could last before pushing the blonde down and fucking himself on him. But Ivan knew that his weight wouldn't exactly go hand in hand with trying to ride the other. Though it wouldn't cause Alfred any pain, it'd most likely be uncomfortable for him. Keeping his legs spread, the Russian bit down slightly on his bottom lip, his breathing deep and slow. His violet eyes were half-lidded as he watched Alfred finish lubing himself up. Finally, he felt the blonde grab onto his hips and pull Ivan towards him a little. "Don't break me, Fredka~" Ivan murmured sweetly, sending Alfred a dark and lust-filled smile.

Alfred smiled back with a devious smile, giving a lighter laugh and leaning in to capture Ivan's lips in a slow and deep kiss, just barely delving his tongue into Ivan's mouth before pulling back up. "Don't worry Vanya. I know you'd get your revenge next time if I did~" Alfred teased back as he lifted one of Ivan's legs over his shoulder again, trying to get better access to Ivan's bottom. One hand on Ivan's hip and the other helping prop Ivan's leg, Alfred aligned his cock and teasingly rubbed the tip at Ivan's entrance. This produced a lovely whine from the Russian, making Alfred laugh again as he lowly pressed in. They gasped in unison as Alfred's cock pressed past Ivan's tight entrance. Alfred then let out a loud moan as he slowly, very slowly but surely pressed into Ivan. His tight, warm walls squeezed Alfred's cock pleasantly as he pushed against his inner muscles. Turning his head to the side where Ivan's leg was propped on his shoulder Alfred peppered Ivan's thigh with kisses and nips as he moaned out huskily, "Ngghhh, So tight and warm Vanya~ You feel so good~"

Ivan threw his head back against the pillow, gasping loudly as Alfred slid into him. It felt so good to have his warm, throbbing cock inside him, pressing deeper into him as the seconds ticked by. Finally, Alfred was in all the way to the hilt and Ivan moaned at the feeling of being full. His lower regions tingled pleasantly, his toes curling in slightly of their own accord. He felt Alfred's lips press against his thighs, placing wet kisses and playful nips along his pale skin. For a moment, Ivan could feel Alfred dip his fangs slightly into his thigh, drawing a small bit of blood and lapping at it like a cat would a saucer of milk. Giving a small sound of impatience, Ivan moved his hips a bit, trying to get Alfred to move more. "Nnn, it feels so good~" The Russian vampire managed to whisper out. Closing his eyes for a short moment, Ivan added on in a soft voice. "Talk to me Alfred, please."

Alfred smirked against his thigh, humming out playfully. "Hm, like sound sound of my voice babe~?" Alfred heeded Ivan's earlier request and began slowly pulling out before pushing back in at a gentle and slow pace. While his hips rocked back and forth in search of Ivan's special spot again, he placed more kisses on his thigh. Speaking out in a smooth and silky voice, Alfred murmured against Ivan's thigh, his breath tickling the skin. "I guess I never finished tellin' you all the things I love about your body Vanya. Now let me think..." The hand that helped prop up Ivan's leg on his shoulder removed itself to lightly grab hold of the Russian's cock, spreading Ivan's pre cum over the tip with his thumb as he slowly timed his strokes with his gentle thrusts. "I love your giant cock Vanya, how you just fill me up whenever we become more...intimate. Feelin' like I'm going to break in half whenever you pound into me, yet knowing I won't. I love when you speak Russian or when you get so aroused your accent gets thicker and your English breaks a bit..." Giving Ivan a fanged smile he skimmed his pointed teeth over the creamy inside of Ivan's thigh. "I have to say though Ivan, even if you don't like 'em, I sure love your thick thighs. I love biting them and letting my fangs and teeth mark them. I love planting small little kisses all over them. I love how perfect they are for rutting against when you pin me to a wall and push them in between my legs~" To accentuate his words, Alfred press and open mouth kiss on the inside of the Russian's thigh, baring his teeth and biting as gently and smoothly as he could down. His fangs sliced though Ivan's pale skin like a hot knife, sucking lightly as he drew Ivan's sweet blood into his mouth, moaning in delight at the taste. It was difficult for Alfred to keep up his gentle thrusting into Ivan, while slowly stoking Ivan off and controlling how much blood he took from the Russian. But somehow he managed to do all three, his arousal growing with every little sound Ivan made.

"Mmm…hnn…a-ahh…yes. Yes, oh god, yes." Ivan's entire being was on fire with gentle pleasure, warm waves of it rolling over his body and setting his nerves on fire with pleasant feelings. The biting and sucking on his thigh was almost making his eyes roll back into his head while the combined stroking of his cock and the brushing of Alfred's own cock against his sweet spot was turning him into jello. Ivan felt himself being pushed lightly into the sheets each time Alfred went deeper into him. His cock was hot and throbbing and rubbing against his insides in all the right ways, almost driving him mad from the intense, yet soft motions. His own cock throbbed in Alfred's hand, his tip leaking precum and dripping down the blonde's hand. God, this was absolutely amazing. "A-Ahhhnn, d-da…ah…a-ahhh, kiss me Alfred." Ivan whispered in a command, looking up at the blonde with lust hazed eyes.

Alfred pulled himself from Ivan's thigh, slowly licking up the trails of blood dripping down Ivan's thigh. A pleasant warmth settled in his stomach as he panted and moaned lightly with Ivan as the pleasure from Ivan's insides hugging his member in all the right ways combined with the satisfying feeling of a full stomach. "On it Vanya~" Alfred hummed. Switching hands, the hand on Ivan's hip was now stroking Ivan while the other gripped under Ivan's thigh. Pushing the Russian's leg back as far as it would go (Ivan was surprisingly more flexible than he expected, but still not as flexible as Alfred) he leaned over the Russian to press an impassioned kiss on his lips. As he pushed his tongue into Ivan's moist cavern, he hummed in pleasure as Ivan's tongue met his, tangling them as Alfred slanted his mouth over the other blonde's to deepen the kiss.

Ivan moaned into the kiss, allowing his tongue to skim along Alfred's, his lips moving along the blonde's slowly and sensually. A pale hand tangled into Alfred's golden hair as Ivan pressed their lips against each other to further seal the kiss, Alfred's tongue pressing deeper into his mouth and running over every surface of it. All the while, the American vampire continued his rhythm of gentle thrusts, his cock brushing up against Ivan's sweet spot gently and causing small waves of pleasure to wash over him. Ivan could feel the pressure on his member growing along with the tension settling in his stomach. Pulling away from the kiss abruptly, leaving a small strand of saliva connecting their wet lips together, Ivan managed to moan out in a series of pants. "Nnnhaaa~ Getting….close. It feels so…good~"

Alfred pressed his lips back to Ivan's in a soft kiss, mumbling against them as he sped up his stokes on Ivan's weeping member and thrusts. "Nmmm, then cum for me Vanya~" Despite the speed up in tempo of his thrusts they, stayed surprisingly gentle as he lightly pushed Ivan into the bed. Alfred wasn't quite close yet, but he was getting there. The coil of pleasure was starting form in his stomach the more he felt Ivan's insides twitch pleasantly against his invading cock. After a few more thrusts he felt Ivan tense.

"N-Nnaahh~!" Ivan gave a sudden, loud moan and arched a bit, his fingers digging into the bed sheets and every muscle in his body going tense as he came. He shuddered through his orgasm, his cock spurting hot, creamy cum onto his and Alfred's stomachs. After a string of short, whimpered moans, he fell back into the bed, his chest heaving a bit as his muscles all relaxed. He could feel the dull throb of his orgasm, his body feeling light, warm, and tingly all over. His cock began to soften a bit, loosing its hard, reddened appearance. Ivan was vaguely aware of Alfred's still rock hard cock inside him, his walls pulsing around the other's length from his orgasm. Seeing Alfred move a bit, as if he was about to pull out of Ivan, the platinum haired vampire reached forward and grabbed his arm. "A…Again. I want it again." It was true that Ivan wanted another round of sex, but it wasn't just for himself. Alfred hadn't even finished yet, and Ivan would feel guilty if he left the other hanging like that. Besides, they had their chance to make love with each other. Now Ivan just wanted to be fucked good and hard into the sheets. "I want you to fuck me again. Hard."

Alfred blinked, his blue eyes looking hesitant. "Y-You sure?" Alfred bit his lips and held back a groan at Ivan saying he wanted Alfred to fuck him hard. With the slow love making he was pretty positive that he wouldn't lose control. He didn't know for sure how well he'd be able to control himself if he went all out. "I could just jerk myself off..." He didn't want to do it if Ivan was just saying it out of some sense of duty.

Alfred choked back a moan as Ivan curled his other leg around Alfred's back, pressing him closer and farther in. Dear god, Ivan clamping down on him when he came had made it hard enough to suppress his instinct to just thrust wildly into the Russian. Ivan pulling him closer to his slightly fluttering hole though broke a bit of his composure. "A-Ah!" Alfred groaned thrusting hard and quick into Ivan once before getting control of himself and biting his lip.

At the sudden, hard thrust, Ivan was unable to suppress the loud moan that left him. Alfred's cock brushed against his already sensitive prostate, the pleasure only being heightened by his recent release. Noticing how the other immediately stopped himself afterwards, Ivan let out a growl of both annoyance and impatience. He squeezed his legs tighter around Alfred's waist, wiggling his hips a bit. "Don't you dare stop, Fredka. I don't care if you gouge me a hundred times. I. Want. You. To. Fuck. Me." Fuck him, bite him, kiss him, anything to be able to feel Alfred on him and in him again.

Alfred shivered once more at Ivan's demand. How could Ivan be so sexy looking like he'd rip Alfred's throat out if he didn't begin moving? With a sigh of defeat, he looked into Ivan's narrowed violet hues that were brimming with sexual frustration and want. Leaning over the Russian again, hovering over his red and puffy lips, Alfred mumbled. "Fine. If you're sure Vanya. Just push me off if if begin to hurt you, okay?" He pressed a gentle kiss to Ivan's lips. Alfred didn't know what he'd do if he almost seriously injured Ivan again, but if Ivan believed he wouldn't...Alfred would give him his all.

Ivan nodded impatiently. "Mmm. Now, keep going~" He felt Alfred press into him again, starting out at his former pace. Though the slow rocks felt nice and pleasant, Ivan had deliberately told him to fuck him roughly. Running his hand up Alfred's neck and then snaking it into his hair, Ivan pulled him down and almost against his chest. His fingers tangled harshly into Alfred's blonde locks, tugging in want. "Harder." He growled out, licking up and along the blonde's neck.

Alfred gasped at the harsh tug at his hair, feeling tingles of excitement run down his spine as Ivan lapped at his neck. He obeyed the Russian's command and began thrusting his hips fast and harder, his tempo slowly increasing with each thrust along with the force. He mumbled out, "Jeeze I was just building up." He wasn't seriously put off though, and instead focused on how the coil of pleasure in his stomach kept tightening with every flutter or twitch Ivan's walls gave around his throbbing cock. Soon he was all out slamming into Ivan's sweet spot, producing more moans and even causing him to mewl a few times as he rocked the Russian hard into the sheets. Grip tightening a bit on Ivan's large hips, he gave a slow, deep moan at the feel of Ivan's warm insides practically hugging his cock and the nips he started to feel on his neck. Grabbing Ivan's cock again once he peeled one of his hands from Ivan's hip, he began frantically pumping it to bring his lover closer to the edge. The pleasant pressure in his stomach that caused his body to tingle with pleasure was almost about to release. He could feel it. "Nnngghhh, I-Ivan… so close~" He moaned lowly, giving an extra hard buck.

It didn't take long for Ivan to cum yet again, his already sensitive cock and sweet spot sending intense waves of pleasure throughout his body. He curled his toes in, his back arching a bit off the bed as his cock spurted even more release onto his already coated stomach. He moaned and whimpered out a string of Russian curses and endearments, hugging Alfred close to him as the other continued to thrust into him. The feeling of being overstimulated, yet bathed in the soft, warm glow of an orgasm was strangely nice. He wrapped his arms around Alfred, panting out with each thrust as he listened to the blonde moan out his own mounting pleasure. Pressing his lips against the side of Alfred's neck, Ivan gave it a kiss and a gentle lick before plunging his fangs into it. Sweet, rich blood flooded into his mouth and coated every crevice of it. Ivan heard Alfred gasp loudly, his thrusts somehow becoming even harder as he tried to find release. Ivan could feel the other's cock brushing up against his overstimulated prostate, sending bitter-sweet shocks of both pain and pleasure throughout him. Feeding slowly and gently from Alfred, Ivan focused on trying to get the other off.

Alfred let out a choked gasp as the wall of muscles around his cock constricted once more with Ivan's orgasm, his seed coating Alfred's hand. Releasing Ivan's now limp member, he braced his other hand on the back of Ivan's thigh. Thrusting erratically as he was driven closer the edge, his grip on Ivan's hip became almost painful as it got tighter and tighter. Before it got too painful though, Alfred felt the Russian's fangs slip into his neck, easily slicing through the skin and the deliciously familiar sucking on his neck was felt. That was the final thing that pushed Alfred too completion, his own cum erupting into Ivan and coating his insides with his seed. Alfred let out a half groaned and half gasped shout of Ivan's name, wildly thrusting a couple more times as he rode out his orgasm.

Alfred panted harshly as he came down from his high, sweat dripping down his brow from their long session. He felt Ivan's fangs slip out of his neck before lapping at the blood dripping down his neck. Letting out a soft moan, the American pulled out of Ivan, sitting back on his haunches as his pale lover unhooked his leg around Alfred's waist and allowed the other to plop down on the bed from its position on his shoulder. Crawling up the bed, Alfred laid on his side, snuggling up to the Russian and feeling him wrap an arm loosely around his waist, pulling Alfred towards him. Kissing Ivan's temple, he looked into the violet and sated looking eyes as Ivan wore a worn smile and looked Alfred from the corner of them. Alfred asked with equally satisfied and hopeful icy colored eyes, "Did you enjoy it?" He hoped Ivan did. He wanted to top much more often after that experience.

Grabbing Alfred's wrist and bringing his fingers up to his face, Ivan took one after the other into his mouth, sucking off all the leftover release on them. "Mmm, yes. Very much so. It was amazing." He murmured, after giving Alfred's pinky one last lick. "I think I may have to let you start topping more often now, now that you've proved you won't break every bone in my body." Seeing the slightly antagonistic look in Alfred's eyes at the comment, Ivan added with a soft laugh, "I'm only joking. I knew you wouldn't let yourself hurt me." Turning on his side as well, Ivan allowed to other to spoon him in, feeling Alfred's arms and legs wrap around his body. Brushing back some hair that was sticking to Alfred's damp face, Ivan sent him a warm smile, looking into Alfred's icy blue, yet still somehow warm eyes. "I love you. And thank you."

Legs slightly entangled with Ivan's and arms wrapped comfortably around the other's middle, Alfred got comfortable snuggling up to his partner. Letting an equally warm, but brighter smile light up his slightly put off expression at Ivan's joke, Alfred tilted his head up and pressed his lips to Ivan's softly before mumbling. "That's good, and you can bet I'm sure as hell toppin' more often." He still felt his stomach get a fluttering feeling, almost mockingly like if his heart could still skip a beat, every time the Russian said he loved him. It was still the best feeling in the world knowing that Ivan loved him, even if they've butted heads before and probably for would centuries too come. "I love you too, Vanya. Forever and always." Alfred answered back, burying his head into Ivan's shoulder.

Alfred wouldn't go back asleep. They still needed to go out hunting, or depending on how Ivan felt -whether or not he wanted to babysit Alfred while he fed, making sure he didn't lose control upon the American's request- the older vampire may just go hunting himself and come back for Alfred to feed off him. It was easy enough for Alfred to pick up that the Russian enjoyed it when he fed off him. But Alfred would cuddle into the Russian for as long as they could. Just enjoying Ivan's embrace and how nice it felt to hold and be held by Ivan. He just wanted to enjoy the warm and fluffy afterglow of their session of love making and fucking. If the way Ivan in return wrapped an arm around Alfred while his other hand stroked his cheek reverently was any indication, then Alfred guessed the Russian didn't have any desire to move anytime soon either.

But that was fine. It didn't matter what they did, so long as they had each other. "Forever and always." Ivan spoke softly back returning a soft kiss to Alfred's lips.


End file.
